THE  LIBRARY 

OF 
THE  UNIVERSITY 

OF  CALIFORNIA 


PRESENTED  BY 

PROF.  CHARLES  A.  KOFOID  AND 
MRS.  PRUDENCE  W.  KOFOID 


LIFE  IN  THE  INSECT  WORLD: 


O  R  , 


CONVERSATIONS 


UPON 


INSECTS, 


BETWEEN  AN  AUNT  AND  HER  NIECES 


The  smallest  insect  holds  a  rank 
Important  in  the  eye  of  Him, 
Who  framed  the  scale  of  being." 


PHILADELPHIA: 

LINDSAY    &   BLAKISTON, 
N.W.  cor.  Fourth  and  Chesnut  streets. 

1844. 


Entered  according  to  the  Act  of  Congress,  in  the  year  1844,  by 

MERRIHEW   AND    THOMPSON, 

in  the  Clerk's  Office  of  the  District  Court  of  the  United  States  in  and 
for  the  Eastern  District  of  Pennsylvania. 


MEBHIHEW  $  THOMPSON,  Printers, 
No.  7  Carter's  Alley. 


CONTENTS 


EVENING    FIRST. 

Introduction — Child's  story — Beauty  of  insects — Mean- 
ing of  the  term  insect — Structure  of  insects — Eggs  of 
insects — Why  spiders  are  not  insects — Antennae — 
Proboscis,  -  .  g 

EVENING    SECOND. 

Wonders  of  nature — Larvae — Casting  of  the  skin — 
Chrysalis — Perfect  insect — Winter  sleep  of  insects — 
Care  of  the  mother  for  her  eggs — Usefulness  of  in- 
sects to  man,  -  -  20 

EVENING  THIRD. 

Favorite  ant  hills — An  unfortunate  meal — Interior  of 
ant  hills — Manner  of  building — Observations  of  Hu- 
ber — Wood  ants — Distinction  of  rank  among  ants- 
Devotion  to  their  queen — The  royal  chamber — Divi- 
sion of  labor — Anecdote  of  a  worker — Manner  of 
feeding  the  young — Ant  cows — Odor  of  ants — A 
worker  saves  the  lives  of  its  companions — Travelling 
ants  of  Brazil — Parasol  ants,  -  -  -  -  28 


iv  CONTENTS. 

EVENING  FOURTH. 

Buildings  of  termites — Provision  r.ooms — Nurseries — 
Attack  upon  the  hill — Under-ground  galleries — Mis- 
chief   committed    by  termites— Good  which  they 
effect — How  used  as  food,  -      43 

EVENING  FIFTH. 

Butterfly  within  the  body  of  the  caterpillar — Instinct 
displayed  in  depositing  eggs — Preparations  for  the 
chrysalis  state — Escape  from  the  cocoon — Wing 
scales  of  butterflies — Leaf-rolling  caterpillars — 
Cocoons — Earth-mason  caterpillar  —  Social  cater- 
pillars— Distinctions  between  butterflies  and  moths 
—Woollen  moth,  -  52 

EVENING  SIXTH. 

Silk-worm — Cocoons — Reeling  silk — Weight  of  co- 
coons— Silk,  when  first  worn — Odd  notions  respect- 
ing it — The  silk-worm's  will,  -  -  74 

EVENING  SEVENTH. 

Death-watch — Its  appearance  and  habits — Superstitions 
connected  with  it — Praying  Mantis — Lizard  of  the 
East — Folly  of  superstition,  .  -  82 

EVENING  EIGHTH. 

House  cricket — Its  habits — Curious  mode  of  getting  rid 
of  them — Field  cricket — Its  nest — Manner  of  deposit- 
ing its  eggs — Caged  crickets — Cruelty  of  keeping 
birds  in  cages — Mole  cricket,  -  -  89 


CONTENTS.  V 

EVENING  NINTH. 

American  locusts — A  captive  liberated — Seventeen 
years  locust — Released  from  its  nympha  state — Its 
music — Vast  numbers — Manner  of  depositing  eggs — 
The  young  locusts  enter  the  ground — Afford  food 
for  various  animals — A  greedy  duck — Locusts  eaten 
by  Indians — Young  locusts  as  seen  through  a  micro- 
scope. -  99 

EVENING  TENTH. 

African  locust — Cells  under  ground — Ravages  of  locusts 
— Vast  numbers — Travellers'  stories — Manner  of 
cooking  locusts,  -  -  108 

EVENING  ELEVENTH. 

Flea,  as  seen  through  the  microscope — Its  strength  and 
agility — Fleas  harnessed  to  miniature  carriages — 
Tropical  sand  fleas — The  deserted  wigwam,  -  125 

EVENING  TWELFTH. 

Musquito —  Egg  boats — Larva — Chrysalis — Perilous 
voyage — Description  of  the  sucker — Column  of  mus- 
quitoes,  -  135 

EVENING  THIRTEENTH. 

Hive-bees — Queen-bee — Drone  — Worker  —  Secreting 
wax — Nurse-bees — Building  of  the  cells — Collecting 
propolis  and  pollen — Arrival  at  the  hive — Varnish- 
ing the  cells — Bees  feeding  the  laborers — Getting 
rid  of  intruders — Royal,  drone,  and  workers  cells,  -  143 


VI  CONTENTS. 

EVENING  FOURTEENTH. 

Attachment  of  bees  to  their  queen — Royal  grubs — A 
new  queen — Anecdotes,  -  155 

EVENING  FIFTEENTH. 

Swarming  of  bees — Preparations  for  departure — The 
drones  killed — Examination  of  the  bee's  sting — Wild 
honey  bees  of  Gaudaloupe — Of  Brazil — Of  Yucatan — 
Honey  guide,  *  165 

EVENING    SIXTEENTH. 

Humble-bee — Its  nest — Economy  of  the  household — 
Getting  rid  of  mites — Carpenter-bee — Its  nest — Stor- 
ing up  bee-bread — Nest  of  the  mason-bee — Nest  of 
the  upholsterer-bee — Rose-leaf  cutter — A  supersti- 
tious gardener,  -'174 

EVENING    SEVENTEENTH. 

Female  wasp  selecting  a  place  for  a  nest — Underground 
passage — The  wasp  the  first  paper  maker — Substances 
used  before  the  introduction  of  paper — The  wasp's 
paper — Making  the  nest — Affection  for  the  young — 
They  assist  their  mother — Male  wasps — Anecdote 
of  a  wasp — Mason- wasp — Carpenter-wasp,  185 

EVENING  EIGHTEENTH. 

Prejudice  against  spiders — Description  of  spinnerets — 
House  spider  weaving  its  web — Sly  retreat — Insects 
live  upon  each  other — Garden  spider — A  favorite — 
Spider  crossing  the  water — Old  spiders,  .  -  198 


CONTENTS.  Vll 

EVENING  NINETEENTH. 

Maternal  affection  of  spiders — Water  spiders — Raft 
building  spiders — Trap-door  spider — South  American 
bird-destroying  spider — Pet  spiders — Anecdote  of 
Robert  Bruce,  -  -  -  .  -212 

EVENING    TWENTIETH. 

Katy.did — Musical  instruments — House-fly — Its  wings 
— Proboscis  —  Structure  of  the  feet — Aphides — 
Variety  of  color — Peculiarity  of  the  eggs — White 
blight — Grails — Fire-fly — Tropical  fire.flies — Curi- 
ous account  of  them — Fire-flies  mistaken  for  Spa. 
niards — Used  instead  of  candles — Glow  worm — Lan- 
tern fly — Electric  centipede — Luminous  appearance 
of  the  ocean — Conclusion,  ....  224 


PREFACE. 


In  offering  to  my  friends  a  little  book,  written  under  cir- 
cumstances of  peculiar  disadvantage,  I  feel  that  justice  to 
rflyself  requires  an  explanation  of  these  circumstances,  and 
that  this  explanation  will  sufficiently  account  for  my  having 
conceived  the  idea  of  writing  a  book  at  all. 

Confined  to  my  bed  with  a  painful  disease,  and  suffering 
from  an  affection  of  the  eyes  which  rendered  me  incapable 
of  reading,  writing  or  doing  any  thing  which  requires  fixed 
sight,  idleness  became  almost  insupportable;  I  longed  for 
something  to  do  ;  something  which  would  pleasantly  and 
profitably  occupy  my  time,  and  divert  my  thoughts  from 
bodily  suffering.  But  my  situation  seemed  to  cut  off  every 
resource.  At  length  I  procured  an  indented  card  upon  which 
I  learned  to  write  with  closed  or  bandaged  eyes;  and  rejoicing 
in  this  newly  acquired  sense,  for  such  it  seemed  to  me,  I 
was  anxious  to  turn  it  to  advantage. 

From  childhood  I  have  been  interested  in  insects.  In 
their  infinite  variety  and  exceeding  beauty ;  in  the  admirable 
construction  even  of  the  most  minute  among  them ;  and  in  the 
operations  of  their  instinct,  they  manifest  in  a  peculiarly 
interesting  manner,  the  power  and  goodness  of  the  Crea- 
tor. 

"  If  you  speak  of  a  fly,  a  gnat  or  a  bee,"  says  Basil, 
"your  conversation  .will  be  a  sort  of  demonstration  of 
His  power  whose  hand  formed  them  ;  for  the  wisdom  of  the 


Vi.  PREFACE. 

workman  is  commonly  perceived  in  that  which  is  of  little 
size.  He  who  has  stretched  out  the  heavens,  and  dug  up  the 
bottom  of  the  sea,  is  also  He  who  has  pierced  a  passage 
through  the  sting  of  the  bee,  for  the  ejection  of  its  poi- 
son." 

With  the  view  of  impressing  these  truths,  and  exciting  an 
interest,  which  would  induce  them  to  inquire  further,  I 
commenced  my  little  stories  about  insects  for  the  benefit  of  my 
nieces,  and  the  children  of  some  of  my  friends.  When  the 
manuscript  was  nearly  completed,  I  was  induced  to  show  it 
to  two  or  three  scientific  friends,  who  encouraged  me  to 
give  it  a  wider  circulation.  This  I  have  concluded  to  flo, 
although  well  aware  of  its  many  imperfections. 

The  difficulty  of  writing  as  I  do,  can  scarcely  be  conceiv- 
ed by  those  who  have  not  tried  it.  We  commonly  read  as 
we  write;  and  sight  is  almost  indispensable  to  facility  of 
expression,  and  the  proper  arrangement  of  subjects.  A 
bandage  over  the  eyes,  seems  to  obscure  the  mental,  as  well 
as  the  physical  vision — we  forget  what  we  have  said,  and 
what  we  intended  to  say,  and  are  liable  to  continual  omissions 
and  repetitions.  Had  I  been  differently  situated,  I  might 
have  written  more  interestingly ;  but,  under  the  circum- 
stances, I  have  done  the  best  I  could. 

I  have  thought  it  better  to  give  a  pretty  full  history  of  a 
few  insects,  than  to  embrace  a  larger  number,  and  say  but 
little  of  each;  and  I  have  preferred  those  which  are  most 
common,  and  can  be  most  readily  observed,  although  I  have 
not  confined  myself  to  the  species  which  are  indigenous.  I 
have  avoided  the  use  of  scientific  terms,  where  they  did  not 
appear  absolutely  necessary,  not  wishing  to  puzzle  children 
with  hard  names,  which  they  would  not  be  likely  to  remem- 
ber. 

I  shall  be  truly  thankful  if  my  little  book  has  the  effect 


PREFACE  Vll. 

to  discourage  that  cruelty  to  insects  in  which  children  are  so 
apt  to  indulge ;  but  if  it  does  no  further  good,  it  has  already 
fulfilled  an  important  part  of  its  mission.  It  has  made  many 
an  hour  pass  pleasantly,  which  might  otherwise  have  been 
tedious,  and  almost  caused  me  to  forget  at  times  that  I  was 
confined  within  the  four  walls  of  my  chamber,  It  has  car- 
ried me  into  the  fields  and  woods,  and  renewed  my  admira- 
tion of  the  wonderful  works  of  the  Creator  ;  and  I  have  re- 
joiced in  the  conviction  that  He,  who  has  so  carefully  pro- 
vided for  the  wants  of  each  helpless  little  insect,  and  con- 
descended to  become  its  teacher,  will  never  fail  to  support 
and  instruct  those,  who,  although  gifted  with  a  higher  order 
of  intelligence,  are  equally  dependant  upon  Him,  both  for 
strength  and  wisdom. 


LIFE  IN  THE  INSECT  WORLD, 


EVENING  FIRST. 


INSECTS  IN  GENERAL. 

Mary.  It  will  be  just  twenty-four  days  until 
the  end  of  this  month,  and  then  we  shall  have 
spring.  I  am  afraid  it  will  seem  like  twenty- 
four  weeks  to  me  ;  how  I  wish  it  was  over  ! 

Aunt  Mary.  Time  passes  quite  swiftly 
enough,  my  dear  child  ;  and  if  we  are  pleasantly 
and  usefully  employed,  and  are  careful  thate  very 
day  should  be  marked  by  some  good  action,  it 
will  not  be  very  tedious  to  us.  But  what  is  to 
be  done  when  spring  comes  ?  Unless  the  wea- 
ther should  be  very  warm,  it  may  be  many  more 


10  LIFE    IN    THE    INSECT    WORLD. 

than  twenty-four  days  before  we  shall  see  green 
fields  and  sweet  flowers  again. 

Mary.  Oh,  I  was  not  thinking  of  fields  and 
flowers  just  now. 

rfunt  M.     What  then  ? 

Mary.  Little  Jane  Wilson  has  been  talking 
to  Anna  and  me  about  the  ants,  and  says  she  is 
very  fond  of  watching  them  at  their  work  ;  and 
has  told  us  some  things  which  seem  so  strange, 
I  could  hardly  have  believed  them,  only  I  know 
she  is  a  very  good  little  girl,  and  would  not  say 
any  thing  that  is  not  quite  true. 

Jane  says  they  will  not  begin  to  work  again 
until  warm  weather  comes,  and  then  we  are 
going  to  watch  them  together,  clearing  out  their 
little  houses  under  ground,  and  carrying  up  one 
grain  of  sand  at  a  time,  and  throwing  it  on  the 
heap  around  their  holes. 

Jlnna.  Jane  told  us  she  had  sometimes  seen 
an  ant  trying  to  drag  a  dead  fly  towards  its  nest, 
but  'finding  it  too  heavy,  it  went  back  and 
brought  a  number  of  its  friends  to  help  it.  She 
says  she  is  sure  insects  talk  to  each  other, 

Jiunt  M.  I  think  there  can  be  no  doubt  that 
all  animals  have  a  way  of  communicating  with 


LIFE    IN    THE    INSECT    WORLD,  11 

each  other ;  a  language  of  their  own,  which  they 
perfectly  understand,  and  which  not  only  enables 
them  to  assist  each  other  in  their  labors,  but  pro- 
bably adds  greatly  to  their  enjoyment.  Our 
Heavenly  Father  has  provided  for  the  wants, 
the  comfort,  and  the  happiness  of  every  creature 
he  has  made — the  smallest  and  most  feeble,  as 
well  as  the  largest  and  most  powerful;  and 
while  I  shall  be  rejoiced  to  see  my  dear  little 
girls  interested  in  the  examination  of  any  of  his 
wonderful  works,  I  shall  be  particularly  pleased 
to  have  their  attention  directed  to  the  ingenious 
little  insects  which  are  almost  every  where  to 
be  found ;  because,  while  we  observe  with  in- 
terest the  larger  objects  which  surround  us, — 
while  we  admire  the  beasts,  birds,  and  beautiful 
flowers, — these  little  creatures  creeping  about 
upon  the  ground,  although  equally  worthy  of 
our  attention,  and  showing  forth,  as  much  as 
any  other  class  of  living  beings,  the  power  and 
goodness  of  God,  are  too  apt  to  be  overlooked, 
or  carelessly,  arid  often  cruelly,  trodden  under 
foot.  Some  of  these,  particularly  in  warm 
countries,  are  exceedingly  beautiful. 

If  the  insect  understood  such  things,  it  might 


12  LIFE    IN    THK    INSECT    WORLD. 

well  laugh  at  the  pride  we  take  in  our  bright 
carpets  and  richly  colored  dresses,  and  spread 
out  before  us  its  own  little  wings,  far  more  beau- 
tifully painted  than  them  all. 

Some  insects  are  of  the  brightest  green,  some 
look  like  gold,  others  like  silver,  some  are  cover- 
ed with  the  finest  and  most  silky  hair,  and  you 
probably  know  that  all  the  furze  on  the  wing 
of  a  butterfly  is  found,  when  examined  through 
a  microscope,  to  be  composed  of  the  most  deli- 
cate feathery  scales. 

Their  forms,  too,  are  as  various,  and  often  as 
beautiful, as  their  colors;  and  although  upwards 
of  one  hundred  and  fifty  thousand  different  spe- 
cies or  kinds  of  insects  have  been  discovered, 
and  many  of  them  are  so  small  that  they  cannot 
be  seen  without  the  aid  of  a  microscope,  yet 
each  is  perfect  in  all  its  parts,  and  admirably 
calculated  for  the  station  it  is  to  occupy,  and  the 
duties  it  has  to  perform,  in  the  creation. 

Their  singular  habits,  too,  the  many  curious 
contrivances  they  resort  to  for  the  promotion  of 
their  own  comfort  and  safety,  and  their  provision 
for  the  wants  of  their  young,  are  still  more  cal- 
culated to  fill  us  with  wonder  and  admiration. 


LIFE    IN    THE    INSECT    WORLD.  13 

As  we  may  still  have  an  hour  to  talk,  I  should 
like  to  tell  you  something  more  about  these  won- 
derful little  creatures ;  but,  in  the  first  place,  I 
must  explain  to  you  what  an  insect  is. 

Harriet.  Oh,  Aunt  Mary,  we  all  know  what 
insects  are. 

Aunt  M.     What  are  they,  then  ? 

Harriet.  Flies,  spiders,  ants,  bees,  and  all 
such  little  animals  are  insects. 

Aunt  M.  Not  quite  right.  You  have  men- 
tioned the  names  of  a  few  insects,  but  even  there 
you  are  a  little  out  of  the  way ;  for  the  spider, 
although  very  similar  in  most  respects,  cannot 
properly  be  called  an  insect. 
.  Mary.  Spiders  not  insects !  that  is  very 
queer.  What  is  the  reason  they  are  not  ? 

Aunt  M.  I  will  tell  you  what  distinguishes 
insects  from  other  animals,  and  you  will  then 
see  why  the  spider  cannot  be  classed  among 
them. 

The  word  Insect  means  cut  into,  and  is  only 
properly  applied  to  those  animals  which  have  in 
their  backs  two  deep  cuts,  separating  the  body 
into  three  distinct  parts:  the  head,  the  thorax, 
or  chest,  and  the  abdomen,  as  perhaps  you  have 
2* 


14  LIFE    IN    THE    INSECT    WOULD. 

noticed  in  the  fly,  the  bee,  the  beetle,  the  grass- 
hopper, and  others.  The  spider  has  but  one  of 
these  cuts,  consequently  but  two  of  these  di- 
visions, and  for  this  and  other  reasons,  which  I 
shall  explain  presently,  it  cannot  properly  bo 
called  an  insect. 

JRenee.  Then  caterpillars  cannot  be  insects, 
for  they  have  not  these  divisions. 

JLunt  M.  Caterpillars  are  in  their  infancy, 
and  have  to  pass  through  many  changes  before 
they  arrive  at  their  perfect  state  ;  but  when  they 
become  butterflies  and  moths,  they  all  have  these 
three  distinct  divisions. 

The  whole  animal  kingdom,  by  which  I  mean 
every  thing  which  possesses  animal  life,  is  separa- 
ted, by  some  naturalists,  into  two  great  divisions, 
called  vertebrated  and  invertebrated  animals. 

Vertebrated  animals  are  those  whose  bodies 
are  supported  on  a  frame  of  bone,  including  a 
spine,  or  back-bone,  and  ribs.  In  this  division 
are  included  men,  beasts,  birds,  reptiles,  and 
fishes. 

Invertebrated  animals  are  without  this  frame 
of  bones,  and  their  bodies  are  soft;  some  of  them 
are  covered  with  a  hard  shell,  or  horny  skin,  to 


LIFE    IN    THE    INSECT    WORLD.  15 

protect  them  from  injury,  but  others  are  with- 
out even  this  defence.  The  whole  tribe  of  in- 
sects is  included  in  this  division. 

Insects  are  also  called  articulated  animals, — 
can  you  tell  me  what  articulated  means  ? 

Harriet.  Articulated  means  jointed — does  it 
not? 

•ftunt  M.  Yes  ;  and  they  are  called  articu- 
lated, because,  though  without  any  regular  sys- 
tem of  bones,  they  are  composed  of  many  jointed 
parts. 

Vertebrated  animals  breathe  through  the 
mouth  by  means  either  of  lungs  or  of  gills  ;  in- 
sects are  without  these,  but  have  in  their  place 
little  breathing  tubes,  placed  along  the  sides, 
the  openings  of  which  are  called  spiracles. 

All  insects,  when  they  arrive  at  maturity, 
have  six  legs ;  although  caterpillars,  which,  as 
I  have  told  you,  are  still  only  in  their  youth,  are 
provided  with  sixteen  little  members  which 
serve  the  purpose  of  legs,  and  are  very  impor- 
tant to  them,  by  enabling  them  to  cling  to  the 
tree  or  leaf  to  which  they  have  attached  them- 
selves, and  to  climb  up  fences  and  bushes. 

The  eyes  of  insects  are  very  remarkable.  You 


16  LIFE    IN    THE    INSECT    WORLD. 

know  that  animals,  generally,  have  but  two  eyes, 
andean  only  look  in  one  direction  at  a. time; 
but  it  is  necessary  that  insects,  in  order  that  they 
may  be  able  to  catch  their  prey,  and  make  their 
escape  on  the  approach  of  danger,  should  see 
in  every  direction  at  once,  and  they  have  been 
accordingly  provided,  not  with  two  single  eyes, 
but  with  a  collection  of  eyes  ;  that  is,  their  eyes 
are  furnished  with  a  great  number  of  little 
lenses,  through  each  of  which  they  can  see  as 
through  a  perfect  eye,  and  by  means  of  which 
they  are  able  to  look  in  all  directions,  before, 
behind,  above,  and  below  them,  without  being 
obliged  to  turn  their  bodies. 

The  butterfly  has  thirty-five  thousand  of  these 
lenses  in  its  two  eyes,  which,  when  examined 
through  a  microscope,  appear  like  a  diamond 
beautifully  cut  on  all  sides. 

I  have  read  of  a  naturalist,  named  Puget,  who 
took  out  the  eye  of  a  flea,  and  placing  it  in  his 
microscope,  looked  through  the  microscope,  and 
through  the  eye,  at  a  soldier  who  was  before 
him  ;  but  instead  of  seeing  but  one  soldier,  he 
saw  what  appeared  to  be  a  whole  army  of  little 
soldiers, — and  the  flame  of  a  candle  looked  like 


LIFE    IN    THE    INSECT    WORLD.  17 

thousands  of  lamps.     Do  you  understand  how 
that  could  be  ? 

fiene6.  Yes;  but  the  idea  of  looking  through 
the  eye  of  a  flea  !  Why,  a  flea  is  so  small  that 
you  can  scarcely  see  its  whole  body. 

Jlunt  M.  So  it  is  ;  but  you  know  a  micro- 
scope makes  things  appear  much  larger  than 
they  really  are. 

Rene6.  How  was  it,  then,  that  the  soldiers 
appeared  so  small. 

Aunt  M.  The  lenses  of  the  eye  have  quite 
a  contrary  effect  from  the  microscope ;  for 
while  they  multiply  the  object,  they  lessen  its 
size. 

And  now  that  I  have  told  you  of  some 
of  the  distinctions  between  insects  and  other 
animals,  I  can  make  you  understand  more 
clearly  why  the  spider  is  not  ranked  among 
them. 

Instead  of  six  legs,  it  has  eight ;  instead  of 
the  two  compound  eyes  I  have  described  to  you, 
it  has  eight  single  ones  in  different  parts  of  its 
head ;  and  instead  of  the  spiracles,  it  breathes 
through  leaf-shaped  gills. 

Mary.     Aunt  Mary,  what  are  those   little 


IS  LIFE    IN    THE    INSECT    WORLD. 

things  which  look  like  horns,  that  I  have  often 
noticed  on  the  heads  of  insects  ? 

Jlunt  M.  Those  are  their  feelers,  or  anten- 
nae, as  they  are  called.  They  are  hollow  and 
jointed,  and  extremely  sensitive,  and  are  used  by 
insects  for  many  purposes  ;  but  are  particularly 
useful  in  enabling  them  to  feel  their  way  as  they 
travel  from  place  to  place. 

Many  insects  are  also  furnished  with  a  pro- 
boscis, or  trunk,  with  which  they  obtain  food  ; 
differently  formed  to  suit  their  various  wants. 
In  those  which  suck  the  juices  of  plants  and 
animals,  this  proboscis  is  hard  and  sharp ;  while 
in  the  butterfly  it  is  long  enough  to  reach  to  the 
bottom  of  a  flower,  to  drink  the  nectar  it  con- 
tains, and  capable  of  being  rolled  up  to  keep 
it  out  of  the  way  when  the  insect  is  not  feed- 
ing. 

The  proboscis  of  the  common  house-fly  has  at 
the  end  a  sort  of  lip,  with  which  it  can  readily 
take  up  sugar,  molasses,  milk,  or  any  thing  else 
suited  to  its  taste. 

The  changes  through  which  insects  have  to 
pass  before  they  arrive  at  their  perfect  state,  are 
so  curious  and  wonderful  that  I  should  like  to 


LIFE    IN    THE    INSECT    WORLD.  19 

give  you  some  account  of  them  ;  but  I  shall  not 
have  time  now. 

Harriet.  Let  us  come  to-morrow  evening, 
then.  I  am  beginning  to  feel  quite  an  interest 
in  the  little  creatures,  and  should  like  to  know 
something  more  about  them. 

Aunt  M.  Very  well ;  I  shall  be  glad  to  see 
you. 


20  LIFE    IN    THE    INSECT    WORLD. 


EVENING  SECOND. 


TRANSFORMATIONS  OF  INSECTS. 

Jlunt  M.  Nature  is  full  of  wonders ;  the 
most  astonishing  changes  are  constantly  going 
on  around  us:  and  just  because  they  are  con- 
stantly going  on ;  because  the  sun  rises  every 
morning  and  sets  every  evening,  and  the  stars 
shine  nightly  above  our  heads;  because  the 
plants  come  up  every  spring  from  the  seed 
which  has  been  sown  in  the  earth,  and  put 
forth  their  beautiful  leaves  and  blossoms ;  and 
because  animals  may  always  be  seen  around 
us ;  they  often  cease  to  excite  our  admiration 
and  our  gratitude.  But  I  do  not  wish  that  this 
should  be  the  case  with  you.  I  want  that  your 
eyes  should  be  open  to  perceive  the  wonders  and 


LIFE    IN    THE    INSECT    WORLD.  21 

beauties  of  creation,  and  instead  of  feeling  in- 
clined to  pass  by  any  object  merely  because  it 
is  common,  you  should,  on  that  very  account, 
be  disposed  to  examine  it  more  closely. 

If  you  do  this,  you  will  find  wonders  where 
you  least  expected  them,  and  will  be  continually 
supplied  with  sources  of  innocent  gratification. 
Kirby  and  Spence,  in  an  interesting  work  writ- 
ten upon  insects,  say: 

"  Were  a  naturalist  to  announce  to  the  world, 
the  discovery  of  an  animal  which,  for  the  first 
five  years  of  its  life,  existed  in  the  form  of  a 
serpent ;  which  then,  penetrating  into  the  earth 
and  weaving  a  shroud  of  pure  silk  of  the  finest 
texture,  contracted  itself  within  this  covering  into 
a  body  without  external  mouth  or  limbs,  and 
resembling,  more  than  any  thing  else,  an  Egyp- 
tian mummy ;  and  which  lastly,  after  remain- 
ing in  this  state,  without  food  and  without  mo- 
tion, for  three  years  longer,  should,  at  the  end 
of  that  period,  burst  its  silken  cerements,  strug- 
gle through  its  earthy  covering,  and  start  into 
day,  a  winged  bird, — what,  think  yon,  would 
be  the  sensation  excited  by  this  intelli- 
gence?" 

3 


22  LIFE    IN    THE    INSECT    WORLD. 

Yet  these  changes  are  constantly  going  on  in 
the  insect  world.  From  the  egg  deposited  by 
the  butterfly,  moth,  or  other  insect,  a  worm  is 
hatched,  entirely  different  in  appearance  and 
habits  from  its  parent,  or  the  animal  it  is  itself 
afterwards  to  become. 

These  worms  are  called  larvae,  which  is  the 
Latin  name  for  mask,  because  they  contain  in 
them  all  the  organs  of  the  perfect  insect,  under 
the  appearance,  or  mask,  of  a  worm.  I  want 
you  to  try  to  remember  these  terms ;  because, 
if  you  should  hereafter  read  books  upon  insects, 
as  I  hope  you  will,  you  will  constantly  meet 
with  them,  and  if  you  do  not  understand  them, 
you  can  scarcely  tell  what  you  are  reading 
about. 

The  larvas  spend  most  of  their  lives  in  eating, 
and  subsist  chiefly  upon  the  leaves  of  plants. 
Their  bodies  are  covered  with  several  layers  of 
skin,  and,  as  they  increase  in  size,  the  outer  one 
becomes  too  small,  and  the  worm  bursts  it  open 
and  crawls  out  of  it,  leaving  it  behind  as  a  worn 
out  garment.  After  a  while,  the  second  skin 
also  becomes  too  small,  and  is  cast  off  in  the 
same  manner  j  and  in  this  way  the  different 


LIFE    IN    THE    INSECT    WORLD.  23 

kinds  of  larvae  change  their  skins  a  number  of 
times  before  they  attain  their  full  size. 

When  the  time  has  arrived  for  them  to  un- 
dergo another  important  change,  they  leave  off 
eating  and  commence  their  preparations.  These 
preparations  are  as  various  as  the  worms  are 
different:  some  descend  into  the  earth,  where 
they  remain  several  years  before  they  acquire 
wings;  some  weave  a  silken  web,  in  which  they 
wrap  themselves  as  in  a  shroud ;  some  make 
their  covering  of  dried  leaves;  while,  with 
others,  the  last  skin  becomes  hard  and  tough, 
and  encloses  them  as  in  a  case. 

In  this  state  they  are  called  Pupse,  Jlurelias, 
or  Chrysalides.  Most  Chrysalides  are  ap- 
parently dead,  neither  moving  nor  eating;  but 
others  both  move  and  eat.  These  are  called 
Nymphs. 

When  the  proper  period  has  arrived  for  them 
to  escape  from  their  confinement,  they  burst  the 
case  which  covers  them,  and  come  forth,  no 
longer  crawling  worms,  but  beautiful  winged 
insects,  with  new  wants,  new  pleasures,  and  a 
new  life.  The  insect  is  now  called  an  Imago, 
(which  is  the  Latin  name  for  image,)  because, 


24  LIFE    IN    THE    INSECT    WORLD. 

having  thrown  off  its  mask,  it  has  become  a  per- 
fect image  of  its  species. 

Most  insects,  in  their  perfect  state,  eat  but 
little,  and  do  not  increase  in  size.  Some  live 
but  a  few  days  after  they  have  acquired  wings ; 
some  a  few  weeks,  some  a  year,  and  others 
longer. 

Those  which  live  through  the  year,  generally 
pass  the  winter  in  a  state  of  torpor  or  apparent 
sleep.  Ants  retire  to  the  bottom  of  their  nests, 
and  there  remain,  sluggish  and  sleepy  enough, 
until  revived  by  the  warm  airs  of  spring. 

You  know  that  insects  lay  their  eggs  in  the 
summer,  and  that  they  are  not  hatched  until  the 
following  spring  ;  and  although  the  mother  has 
never  felt  the  cold  herself,  and  the  eggs  are  ge- 
nerally laid  in  the  hottest  part  of  the  season,  she 
is  always  careful  to  protect  them  against  the 
storms  and  frosts  of  winter.  They  are  generally 
deposited  upon  the  twigs  and  branches  of  trees, 
and  sometimes  upon  walls  and  fences,  to  which 
they  are  firmly  glued  with  a  sort  of  cement 
which  insects  have  the  power  of  producing,  and 
are  frequently  covered  with  a  coating  of  the 
same  substance,  which  serves  the  purpose  of 
water-proof  varnish. 


LIFE    IN    THE    INSECT    WORLD.  25 

Several  kinds  of  moths  cover  their  eggs  with 
down  taken  from  their  own  bodies. 

The  cochineal  insect  lays  her  eggs  under  her, 
glues  herself  fast  to  them,  and  dies,  making  her 
own  body  a  shelter  for  her  eggs  ;  while  another 
insect  covers  hers  with  the  pupa  case  from  which 
she  has  just  escaped. 

How  do  you  think  the  insect  knows  that 
all  these  precautions  are  necessary  to  defend 
her  eggs  from  storms  and  frosts  she  never 
felt? 

Rene&.     God  taught  her. 

Jlunt  M.  Yes ;  God  taught  her,  and  she  has 
obeyed  his  teaching ;  and  shall  we  despise  or 
wantonly  kill  the  little  insect  over  which  HE  so 
carefully  watches  ?  I  hope  not. 

Insects  are  very  useful  to  man.  The  bee 
gives  us  its  delicious  honey  ;  the  silk-worm 
supplies  us  with  silk ;  and  in  the  body  of  the 
cochineal  insect  is  contained  the  beautiful  color 
of  which  the  paint  called  carmine  is  made:  it  is 
also  used  in  dyeing,  and  in  the  preparation  of 
several  kinds  of  medicine.  These  insects  are 
considered  so  valuable,  that  the  plants  upon 
which  they  feed  are  carefully  cultivated,  and  at 

3* 


26  LIFE    IN    THE    INSECT    WORLD. 

the  proper  season,  they  are  taken  off,  killed, 
dried,  and  sent  to  different  parts  of  the  world. 

The  nest  of  the  gall-fly  forms  the  principal 
ingredient  of  which  ink  is  made  ;  and  the  Span- 
ish fly  (so  called  because  it  abounds  in  Spain) 
is  used  in  making  blistering  ointment. 

Anna.  I  have  noticed  little  bright  green 
specks  in  the  blistering  ointment ;  are  they  the 
flies? 

Aunt  M.  Yes,  they  are  the  flies  ground  to 
powder;  their  color  is  beautiful,  but  they  have 
a  disagreeable  smell. 

There  are  other  and  more  important  uses  of 
insects,  of  which  I  may  tell  you  at  a  future  time, 
if  you  agree  to  the  proposal  I  am  about  to  make 
you. 

Anna.     What  is  that,  Aunt  Mary ! 

Aunt  M.  I  have  been  telling  you  of  insects 
in  general ;  of  the  way  in  which  they  are  formed, 
&c.;  and  although  these  things  are  very  impor- 
tant to  be  known,  they  are  not  likely  to  be  as 
interesting  to  children  as  accounts  of  their  habits 
and  modes  of  living.  Now,  if  you  think  you 
would  like  to  hear  it,  I  shall  be  glad  to  spend  a 
part  of  each  evening,  when  I  am  not  otherwise 


LIFE    IN    THE    INSECT    WORLD.  27 

engaged,  in  giving  you  the  history  of  some  of 
those  which  we  are  in  the  habit  of  seeing  every 
day,  as  the  ant,  the  butterfly,  and  so  on. 

Harriet.  I  am  sure  we  shall  be  delighted  to 
hear  it. 

JReneS.  That  we  shall.  May  we  come  to- 
morrow evening  ? 

Aunt  M.  I  do  not  know  of  any  thing  to 
prevent.  What  would  you  like  me  to  begin 
with  ? 

Mary.     Oh,  the  ant — begin  with  the  ants. 

Aunt  M.  Very  well,  we  will  begin  with  the 
ants.  But  it  is  time  to  go  to  bed  now ;  so  good 
night. 


28  LIFE    IN    THE    INSECT    WORLD, 


EVENING  THIKD. 

ANTS. 

Harriet.  Here  we  are,  Aunt  Mary ;  lessons 
finished,  books  put  away,  and  all  ready  to  hear 
about  the  ants. 

Jlunt  M.  That  is  right,  business  first  and 
pleasure  afterwards.  I  am  glad  to  see  you. 

I  have  always  felt  a  particular  interest  in  ants. 
There  were  a  number  of  ant-hills  in  our  school- 
house  yard,  and  when  I  was  quite  a  little  girl, 
I  used  to  take  much  pleasure  in  watching  them, 
and  was  greatly  distressed  when  any  of  my  mis- 
chievous school  mates  kicked  them  over  for  the 
purpose  of  teasing  me.  I  thought  how  the  poor 
ants  must  be  dismayed  when  they  found  a 
shower  of  sand  coming  down  upon  them,  and 
saw  thus  destroyed  in  a  moment  the  patient  la- 
bor of  many  days. 

There  were  two  or  three  of  these  hills  to  which 


LIFE    IN    THE    INSECT    WORLD.  29 

I  had  taken  a  particular  fancy,  and  considered 
especially  my  own.  Every  day  I  watched  my 
little  favorites,  until  I  had  learned  to  regard 
them  with  a  sort  of  motherly  affection.  I  fre- 
quently carried  cake  and  sugar  with  me  from 
home,  which  I  scattered  sparingly  around  their 
habitations. 

One  morning  I  filled  my  little  paper  with  sugar, 
concluding  my  friends  should  have  a  generous 
treat.  I  strewed  it  thickly  over  the  pavement, 
and  soon  had  the  satisfaction  of  seeing  the  whole 
swarm  of  ants  partaking  of  the  delicious  food. 

After  remaining  with  them  as  long  as  I  could, 
I  left  them  still  enjoying  their  feast.  The  next 
morning  I  started  full  of  interest  to  see  how  they 
fared  after  their  repast;  when  lo!  what  was  my 
consternation,  on  approaching  the  hills,  to  find 
them  still  covered  and  surrounded,  not  with 
living,  eating  ants,  but  with  the  dead  bodies  of 
my  little  favorites,  increased  to  nearly  twice 
their  natural  size.  The  greedy  little  beings  had 
stuffed  themselves  to  death,  and  I  was  the  cause 
of  all  this  mischief.  ,1  believe  I  never  fed  an  ant 
afterward. 

I  was  always  much  interested  in  observing 
the  ants  meet  each  other  as  they  passed  to  and 


30  LIFE    IN    THE    INSECT    WORLD. 

from  their  habitations.  I  noticed  that  they  al- 
ways stopped  and  touched  together  their  anten- 
noe,  as  if  they  were  saying,  "  How  do  you  do, 
this  morning  ?" 

Sometimes  I  have  seen  two  long  lines  of  ants 
meet,  who  were  marching  in  regular  order,  (I 
suppose  in  search  of  food,)  when  each  one 
would  successively  stop,  courteously  salute  his 
neighbor,  fall  again  into  the  line  with  his  com- 
panions, and  march  on  as  before.  But  I 
should  have  been  still  more  interested  had  I 
known  as  much  about  them  as  I  have  since 
learned. 

Ants  always  live  in  families  ;  and  if  you  are 
surprised  at  the  understanding  they  display  by 
going,  at  the  request  of  one  of  their  companions, 
to  assist  in  conveying  the  dead  fly  to  their  nest, 
how  greatly  would  your  astonishment  be  in- 
creased if  you  could  see  the  interior  of  one  of 
their  habitations. 

Naturalists  have  taken  great  pains  in  the  ex- 
amination of  these,  by  carefully  removing  the 
earth  which  covered  them,  and  have  found  them, 
not  great  holes,  as  you  might  suppose,  but  regu- 
larly and  neatly  built  dwellings,  consisting  of 


LIFE    IN    THE    INSECT    WORLD.  31 

separate  rooms  of  different  sizes,  communicating 
with  each  other  by  passages  or  entries,  and  often 
many  stories  in  height.  In  making  these,  the 
ants  scrape  the  earth  from  the  bottom  of  their 
nests,  and  so  fasten  the  particles  together,  by 
pressing  against  them  with  their  feet,  as  to  form 
solid  walls.  They  prefer  working  when  the  earth 
is  moist,  so  that  it  can  be  readily  moulded,  arid 
will  easily  adhere ;  and  often  take  advantage  of 
a  light  shower  to  carry  on  their  building,  which 
is  afterward  dried  and  hardened  by  the  heat  of 
the  sun. 

A  celebrated  naturalist,  named  Huber,  gives 
an  interesting  account  of  the  proceedings  of  a 
family  of  little  brown  ants  adding  a  new  story 
to  their  dwelling. 

A  light  shower  was  falling,  when  he  saw  a 
number  of  these  little  creatures  come  up  out  of 
their  nest  and  look  around  them.  They  imme- 
diately descended,  and  each  bringing  a  little 
lump  of  earth  in  its  mouth,  they  commenced 
their  operations.  He  sat  quietly  by  them  for 
several  hours,  and  saw  them  raise  regular  co- 
lumns and  walls  at  different  distances  from  each 
other,  forming  large  and  small  rooms,  and  wide 


32  LIFE    IN    THE    INSECT    WORLD. 

and  narrow  entries,  after  which  the  whole  was 
skilfully  covered  with  a  sloping  roof. 

The  form  and  size  of  these  dwellings  differ 
with  different  kinds  of  ants.  The  nests  of  the 
wood  ants  are  very  large  and  strongly  built, 
containing  many  separate  stories,  some  very 
deep  in  the  ground,  and  others  a  considerable 
height  above  it ;  the  lower,  intended  to  receive 
the  young  in  cold  weather  and  at  night,  and  the 
upper,  for  their  use  in  the  day-time. 

I  have  frequently  seen  the  nests  of  a  species 
of  wood  ant  in  the  pine  woods  in  the  southern 
part  of  New  Jersey,  which  were  from  two  to 
three  feet  in  height.  The  ants  themselves  were 
nearly  a  quarter  of  an  inch  in  length. 

It  is  believed  that  some  kinds  of  ants  work 
both  day  and  night,  requiring  no  rest  but  that 
which  they  get  through  the  winter  ;  but  the 
wood  ants  and  some  others  retire  in  the  evening 
to  their  inner  rooms,  and  close  the  hole  in  the 
top  of  the  nest;  always,  however,  leaving  two 
or  three  of  their  number  to  stand  without  as 
guard. 

Every  family  of  ants  is  composed  of  a  King 
and  Queen,  the  soldiers,  and  the  workers  ;  so 


LIFE    IN    THE    INSECT    WORLD.  33 

called  because  they  are  always  observed  to  per- 
form these  separate  offices  in  the  family. 

Renee.  How  do  they  know  the  difference 
between  them,  Aunt  Mary  ?  all  ants  look  alike 
to  me. 

Jlunt  M.  If  you  examine  them  closely,  you 
will  find  that  there  is  considerable  difference 
in  their  form ;  but  a  very  important  distinction 
between  them  is,  that  all  of  them,  except  the 
workers,  come  out  of  their  pupa  cases  winged 
insects  ;  but  after  one  or  two  flights  in  the  air, 
they  shed  their  wings,  and  are  afterwards  satis- 
fied to  travel  only  upon  land,  and  perform  their 
part  in  the  management  of  their  little  home. 

The  queen  ant  is  the  mother  of  the  whole 
tribe,  and  both  she  and  her  royal  husband  ap- 
pear to  be  waited  upon  by  their  numerous  chil- 
dren with  the  greatest  possible  kindness  and 
respect.  A  large  room  is  always  provided  solely 
for  their  accommodation,  which  they  never 
leave,  and  a  large  body  of  soldiers  and  workers 
are  constantly  in  attendance  upon  them. 

These  dutiful  children  manifest  the  greatest 
affection  for  their  queen  mother ;  sometimes 
crawling  gently  over  her,  and  sometimes  seem- 
4 


34  LIFE    IN    THE    INSECT    WORLD. 

ing  to  caress  her  with  their  antennae,  and  at 
others  standing  on  their  hind  feet,  frisking  about 
her  in  the  liveliest  manner. 

If  an  ant  hill  is  attacked,  all  the  passages  and 
galleries  leading  to  the  royal  chamber  are  im- 
mediately filled,  and  it  is  said  the  faithful  little 
creatures  will  die  under  its  walls,  rather  than 
suffer  it  to  be  entered  by  an  enemy. 

The  workers  build  the  houses  and  procure 
the  food ;  while  the  soldiers  guard  the  hills  or 
nests  from  the  attacks  of  neighboring  ants  and 
other  insects.  As  soon  as  the  eggs  of  the  queen 
are  laid,  the  workers  take  them  and  place  them 
in  rooms  or  cells  built  for  their  reception  ;  and 
when  they  are  hatched,  feed  them  constantly 
until  they  are  able  to  take  care  of  themselves. 

In  that  care  and  tenderness  for  their  young 
which  is  common  to  all  created  beings,  insects 
are  by  no  means  deficient;  and  although  it 
would  be  impossible  for  the  ant-mother  to  attend 
to  the  wants  of  her  many  thousand  little  ones, 
her  kind  and  faithful  attendants  perform  this 
duty  so  cheerfully  and  affectionately,  that  she 
has  no  need  to  feel  any  anxiety  on  their  ac- 
count. 

I  will  relate  to  you  an  anecdote  which  will 


LIFE    IN    THE    INSECT    WORLD.  35 

show  the  strength  of  their  attachment  to  the 
young  which  have  been  confided  to  their  care. 

An  ant  hill  had  been  broken  open,  and  the 
inhabitants  were  seen  eagerly  seizing  certain 
little  white  substances,  (their  young  ones,)  and 
hurrying  with  them  to  a  place  of  safety.  A 
gentleman  who  was  watching  them,  cut  one  of 
the  ants  in  two.  We  should  suppose  that  it 
would  immediately  have  dropped  its  burden, 
and  forgotten  every  thing  but  its  own  suffer- 
ings ;  but  instead  of  this,  it  contrived,  with  the 
remaining  half  of  its  body,  to  carry  ten  of  the 
young  ones  to  the  inside  of  the  nest  before  it  laid 
down  to  die. 

The  nests  of  ants  have  sometimes  been  dis- 
turbed, and  grains  of  salt  mixed  with  the  eggs, 
in  order  to  prove  whether  hey  would  be  able  to 
distinguish  them  from  any  other  white  substance. 
But  the  little  creatures  were  not  to  be  deceived, 
and  as  soon  as  they  were  again  left  to  them- 
selves, they  went  actively  to  work,  picked  out 
the  salt,  threw  it  aside,  and  arranged  the  eggs 
as  before. 

After  they  are  hatched,  they  require  feeding 
several  times  a  day.  The  manner  of  doing  this 
is  very  curious:  the  old  ants  swallow  the  food, 


36  LIFE    IN    THE    INSECT    WORLD. 

and  then  throw  it  up  from  their  stomachs  into 
the  mouths  of  the  young  ones. 

Harriet.  Oh,  that  is  too  disgusting !  I  had 
no  idea  that  any  animals  fed  their  young  in  that 
way. 

Aunt  M.  No  doubt  it  tastes  very  good  to 
them,  as  it  appears  that  this  mode  of  feeding  is 
not  altogether  confined  to  the  young. 

Huber  says  that  he  once  followed  a  party  of 
the  large  wood  ants,  which  he  found  a  consider- 
able distance  from  their  habitation.  As  they 
approached  the  ant  hill,  several  of  their  com- 
panions met  them,  who  probably  supposing 
them  to  be  hungry  after  their  journey,  and  being 
themselves  well  supplied  with  food,  gave  it  to 
them  in  this  way.  But  I  have  something  to  tell 
you,  stranger,  even,  than  this.  Do  you  know 
that  ants  have  cows  ? 

Mary.     Ants  have  cows?     Oh,  how  funny  ! 

Jiunt  M.  Funny  enough  ;  but  nevertheless 
true ;  and  these  cows  are  those  little  green  in- 
sects commonly  called  plant  lice,  which  we  may 
see  at  any  time  clustered  together  upon  the  ten- 
der stalks  of  rose  bushes  and  many  other  plants. 
Their  proper  name  is  Aphides.  It  is  said  they 
even  hold  these  insects  as  property. 


LIFE    IN    THE    INSECT    WORLD.  37 

They  are  thrown  into  great  consternation  if 
they  see  an  ant,  belonging  to  another  nest,  at- 
tempting to  climb  the  stalk  of  a  plant  covered 
with  the  insect  cows  which  they  consider  espe- 
cially their  own,  and  drive  him  off  with  little 
ceremony.  Some  kinds  of  ants  carry  large 
numbers  of  these  insects  to  their  nest,  and  let 
them  feed  on  the  stalks  and  plants  around  it ; 
while  others  secure  them  in  a  pen,  by  building 
a  wall  around  the  place  where  they  are  kept. 
They  take  the  entire  charge  of  their  eggs,  put- 
ting them  in  a  place  of  safety  when  the  nest  is 
attacked,  and  carrying  them  out  in  warm,  dry 
weather,  that  they  may  be  early  hatched  by  the 
heat  of  the  sun;  thus  absolutely  rearing  the  cat- 
tle which  afford  them  so  large  a  supply  of  good 
and  wholesome  food. 

A  naturalist  tells  us  that  one  day,  as  he  was 
looking  at  a  plant  covered  with  these  little 
Aphides,  he  saw  an  ant  creeping  up  the  stalk. 
He  was  at  once  interested,  and  carefully  watch- 
ing its  motions,  observed  that  it  passed  several 
of  the  insects  without  disturbing  them.  At 
length  it  stopped,  and  tapping  one  of  them  on 
each  side  with  its  antennae,  the  gentlemen  ob- 
4* 


38  LIFE    IN    THE    INSECT    WORLD. 

served  a  drop  of  fluid  issue  from  its  body,  which 
the  ant  immediately  drank.  It  then  went  to  a 
large  one,  which  it  tapped  in  the  same  way, 
and  which  yielded  a  larger  drop  than  the  first ; 
then  to  a  third,  and  so  on,  until  it  had  thus  tap- 
ped and  drunk  from  seven  or  eight  of  its  tiny 
cows,  when  it  appeared  to  have  satisfied  its 
hunger.  This  fluid  is  the  honey  dew  which 
the  insect  obtains  from  the  plant  on  which  it 
feeds. 

Ants  have  the  power  of  throwing  from  their 
bodies  a  very  strong  smell,  which,  it  is  supposed, 
greatly  assists  them  in  finding  their  way  back  to 
their  nests,  after  the  long  journies  which  they 
sometimes  make  in  search  of  food.  It  is  believed 
they  scent  the  track,  and  return  by  the  same 
road  over  which  they  came. 

Although  ants  appear  to  live  in  much  har- 
mony in  their  own  families,  they  defend  them- 
selves vigorously  when  attacked,  biting  severely, 
and  throwing  poison  into  the  wound.  Most 
insects  have  been  provided  by  their  Creator 
with  some  means  of  self-defence.  They  are  not 
capable  of  reasoning  with  each  other  as  we  are ; 
and  as  they  are  constantly  liable  to  meet  with 
injuries  from  which  they  could  not  be  otherwise 


LIFE    IN    THE    INSECT    WORLD^  39 

protected,  they  have  been  permitted  to  follow 
those  instincts  of  their  nature  which  lead  them 
to  defend  themselves,  even  at  the  risk  of  injur- 
ing others. 

But  we  are  very  differently  situated.  Upon 
us  alone  has  our  Heavenly  Father  bestowed  the 
higher  powers  of  reason;  we  alone  have  been 
created  in  his  own  image  :  that  is,  he  has  given 
to  us  many  of  those  good  feelings  and  disposi- 
tions which  constitute  his  own  nature ;  and  he 
asks  that  we  should  exercise  these;  that  we 
should  manifest  our  affection  and  gratitude  to 
him  by  our  kindness  to  the  beings  he  has  cre- 
ated ;  and  that,  instead  of  feeling  disposed  to 
return  injury  for  injury,  we  should  love  our 
enemies,  do  good  to  them  that  hate  us,  and 
pray  for  them  that  despitefully  use  us  and  per- 
secute us.  Let  our  means  of  defence  consist  in 
continual  acts  of  kindness  and  of  love ;  let  us 
always  endeavor  to  "  overcome  evil  with 
good." 

It  is  nearly  bed  time,  but,  before  you  go,  I 
will  relate  to  you  an  anecdote,  which  will  illus- 
trate what  I  have  told  you  of  the  soldiers  and 
workers  in  ant  hill?  always  attending  solely  to 


40  LIFE    IN    THE    INSECT    WORLD. 

their  own  business,  without  interfering  with,  or 
even  understanding,  that  of  the  others. 

Huber  says,  that  he  once  took  from  the  nest 
of  the  large  wood  ant  about  thirty  or  forty  of 
the  soldiers,  with  a  considerable  number  of  eggs, 
and  put  them  into  a  garden  vase,  the  bottom  of 
which  was  covered  with  earth ;  he  placed  a 
little  honey  in  one  corner,  and  covered  the  top 
with  glass. 

The  poor  ants  wandered  about  without  seem- 
ing to  know  what  to  do,  either  with  themselves 
or  the  eggs ;  they  did  not  even  attempt  to  dig 
out  a  dwelling,  scarcely  tasted  the  food,  and,  at 
the  end  of  two  days,  about  half  of  them  were 
dead.  He  then  threw  in  one  of  the  workers, 
which  he  had  taken  from  the  same  nest.  The 
poor  soldiers  manifested  their  pleasure  at  seeing 
their  companion  by  gathering  around  it,  and  ca- 
ressing it  with  their  antennae.  It  immediately 
went  to  work,  made  for  them  a  habitation  in 
the  earth,  took  charge  of  and  properly  arranged 
the  eggs,  arid  induced  its  companions  to  eat  the 
food  prepared  for  them. 

Thus  the  lives  of  fifteen  or  twenty  were  saved 
by  the  exertions  of  a  single  ant. 


LIFE    IN    THE    INSECT    WORLD.  41 

A  traveller  in  South  America  says,  that  there 
are  a  kind  of  ants  in  Brazil  which  travel  in  large 
companies,  and  make  a  regular  journey  through 
the  country  every  year,  giving  notice  of  their 
coming  by  the  rustling  of  the  dried  leaves  over 
which  they  pass.  It  is  a  common  practice  with 
many  of  the  inhabitants  to  leave  their  houses  on 
their  approach.  The  ants  enter  them,  and  after 
effectually  clearing  them  of  rats,  mice,  roaches, 
and  all  other  annoying  little  animals,  start  off 
again  upon  their  march. 

Another  kind  of  ants,  also  found  in  South 
America,  make  their  nests  of  green  leaves,  and 
may  be  seen  marching  in  long  lines,  each  carry- 
ing in  its  mouth  a  piece  of  leaf  large  enough  to 
cover  it,  as  if  to  screen  it  from  the  sun.  From 
this  circumstance,  they  have  sometimes  been 
called  the  Parasol  ants. 

As  these  processions  of  ants  move  along,  the 
path,  for  three  or  four  inches  in  width,  is  often 
perfectly  green  with  them.  They  make  their 
nests,  which  are  sometimes  as  large  as  a  hogs- 
head, in  the  branches  of  trees.  Here  they  rear 
their  young  and  pass  the  winter ;  but  preferring 
life  and  liberty  in  the  open  air,  spend  the  sum- 
mer ranging  about  the  woods. 


42  LIFE    IN    THE    INSECT    WORLD. 

I  want  to  give  you  an  account  of  the  White 
ants,  or  Termites,  as  they  are  called,  which  are 
found  in  Africa  and  some  other  warm  countries  ; 
but  we  must  leave  it  until  another  evening. 


LIFE    IN    THE    INSECT    WORLD.  43 


EVENING  FOURTH. 


WHITE    ANTS,   OR    TERMITES. 

Jlunt  M.  You  have  been  surprised  at  what 
I  have  already  told  you  of  the  buildings  of  ants, 
but  those  of  the  Termites  far  exceed  any  others 
in  size,  strength,  and  workmanship.  Indeed, 
these  little  creatures  are  the  greatest  builders  in 
the  world. 

They  are  from  a  quarter  to  half  an  inch  in 
length,  and  their  hills  are  generally  from  ten 
to  twelve  feet  high,  and  so  hard  on  the  top  that 
several  men  can  stand  on  them  without  break- 
ing them. 

A  celebrated  traveller  tells  us,  that  he  once 
saw  a  number  of  these  hills  which  were  from 
fifteen  to  twenty  feet  in  height.  Think  of  an 


44  LIFE    IN    THE    INSECT    WOULD. 

ant,  a  quarter  of  an  inch  long,  raising  a  building 
three  times  as  high  as  a  man. 

Harriet.     That  is  wonderful. 

Aunt  M.  Yes;  their  buildings  are  more  than 
five  hundred  times  their  own  height. 

Rene6.  Aunt  Mary,  if  a  man  could  build  a 
house  five  hundred  times  as  high  as  himself, 
how  high  would  it  be  ? 

Aunt  M.  It  would  be  more  than  half  a  mile 
high  ;  four  or  five  times  the  height  of  the  Pyra- 
mids of  Egypt. 

Anna.  Such  a  house  could  not  be  built, 
could  it?  or,  if  it  could,  it  would  tumble  down. 

Aunt  M.  Such  a  house  never  has  been,  and 
probably  never  can  be,  built;  and  yet  these  little 
Termites,  with  no  other  tools  than  their  own 
jaws  and  feet,  raise  buildings  as  high  in  propor- 
tion to  their  size  as  a  house  a  mile  high  would 
be  to  that  of  a  man. 

Some  of  these  buildings  have  forty  or  fifty 
stories,  each  containing  many  separate  rooms, 
connected  by  entries;  the  principal  of  which 
communicate  with  other  rooms  under  ground, 
and  are  often  carried  to  the  distance  of  several 
feet  from  the  hill. 


LIFE    IN    THE    INSECT    WORLD.  45 

Here  are  regular  rows  of  columns  and  arches ; 
the  royal  chamber,  with  the  rooms  of  the  atten- 
dants around  it ;  the  store-rooms  which  are  al- 
ways well  stocked  with  provisions ;  the  nurse- 
ries, for  the  accommodation  of  the  young,  and 
many  other  rooms  used  for  various  purposes. 

Renee.  What  kind  of  provision  have  they 
in  the  store-rooms,  Aunt  Mary  ?  Flies  and  so 
on? 

Jlunt  M.  No.  Although  the  Termites  will 
eat  almost  any  thing,  they  prefer  vegetable  food, 
and  that  which  they  store  away  has  been  found 
to  consist  principally  of  the  gum  of  trees. 

It  is  singular,  that,  while  all  the  rest  of  the 
dwelling  is  of  earth,  the  room  used  as  a  nursery 
is  made  of  pieces  of  wood  fastened  together,  and 
nicely  lined  with  clay.  To  and  from  this  nur- 
sery some  of  the  faithful  workers,  are  almost 
continually  travelling  ;  first  carrying  the  eggs  of 
the  queen,  (which,  you  may  suppose,  requires 
no  small  labor,  when  I  tell  you  that  eighty 
thousand  have  sometimes  been  laid  in  twenty- 
four  hours,)  and  afterward  feeding  the  young, 
who,  as  soon  as  they  are  old  enough  to  leave 

5 


46  LIFE    IN    THE    INSECT    WORLD. 

the  nursery,  are  taken  out  and,  it  is  said,  are 
shown  through  the  numerous  rooms  and  galle- 
ries of  their  great  building,  and  instructed  in 
their  employments.  They  pass  from  one  room 
to  another  by  means  of  sloping  roads,  which 
serve  the  purpose  of  stairs. 

Experiments  have  frequently  been  made  upon 
these  ant  hills  by  striking  upon  them  with  a  stick, 
and  breaking  off  a  part  of  them;  when  a  soldier 
ant  immediately  appears  at  one  of  the  openings, 
walks  rapidly  over  the  hill,  as  if  to  ascertain  the 
extent  of  the  danger,  and  then  retires  to  give  the 
alarm,  whereupon  a  large  number  of  soldiers 
issue  from  the  numerous  holes  with  which  the 
building  is  perforated,  and  stand  ready  to  defend 
their  home. 

If,  at  this  time,  they  come  in  contact  with  the 
hands  or  feet  of  the  person  who  has  thus  injured 
them,  they  will  bite  severely,  and  will  sometimes 
suffer  themselves  to  be  torn  limb  from  limb,  be- 
fore they  are  willing  to  let  go  their  hold.  If, 
however,  he  retires  to  a  little  distance  from  the 
hill,  and  remains  quiet  for  about  half  an  hour, 
they  suppose  the  enemy  has  left  them,  and  re- 
turn into  the  nest ;  the  workers  then  come  out, 


LIFE    IN    THE    INSECT    WORLD.  47 

each  carrying  a  particle  of  earth  in  its  mouth, 
and  commence  repairing  the  breach. 

Although  thousands  are  thus  employed  at  the 
same  time,  constantly  passing  and  re-passing 
each  other,  no  confusion  appears  amongst  them 
— all  is  industry  and  order.  One  of  the  soldiers 
atone  remains,  who  walks  leisurely  around, 
without  taking  any  part  in  the  labor ;  but  occa- 
sionally raising  his  head,  he  strikes  with  his 
pincers  upon  the  new  work,  and  makes  a  noise 
so  loud  that  it  may  be  heard  at  the  distance  of 
several  feet  from  the  hill.  At  this  sound,  the 
laborers  are  always  observed  to  increase  their 
diligence.  If,  while  all  is  thus  quietly  going 
for  ward,  the  person  who  is  watching  again  strikes 
upon  the  hill,  the  scene  immediately  changes. 
The  workers  vanish  through  the  passages  and 
galleries,  and  the  soldiers  take  their  places.  When 
all  is  again  quiet,  the  soldiers  retire,  and  the  la- 
borers return,  laden  as  before,  and  if  permitted 
to  remain  undisturbed,  continue  their  work  un- 
til it  is  completed. 

These  little  insects  often  do  much  mischief  by 
getting  into  houses  and  ware-houses,  sometimes 
destroying  all  the  wood  work  in  a  single  night : 
but  a  very  curious  part  of  it  is,  that  (having  a  par- 


48  LIFE    IN    THE    INSECT    WORLD. 

ticular  dislike  to  eating  in  the  light)  they  hollow 
out  only  the  inside  of  the  wood,  while  the  out- 
side appears  to  be  untouched,  hut  will  crumble 
to  pieces  with  the  slightest  blow,  being  often  no 
thicker  than  a  sheet  of  pasteboard. 

They  dig  long  galleries  under  ground,  from 
their  hills  to  the  neighboring  houses,  entering 
them  through  the  floors  or  the  posts  that  sup- 
port the  roof.  They  destroy  all  the  books  and 
papers  in  their  way,  as  well  as  cloth  and  linen, 
boots  and  shoes,  and  indeed  almost  everything 
except  glass  and  metal.  They  then  travel  back 
through  their  long  galleries,  carrying  fragments 
of  wood  or  any  thing  else  they  may  wish  to  take 
home  with  them. 

An  English  lady,  who  has  lately  returned 
from  India,  where  she  resided  several  years, 
told  one  of  my  friends,  that  when  she  left  Eng- 
land, she  took  with  her  a  trunk  containing  silk 
and  woollen  dresses;  but  she  found  the  climate  so 
warm  that  she  had  no  use  for  this  clothing,  and 
the  trunk  remained  unopened  for  several  months. 
At  length  she  concluded  to  unpack  her  dresses, 
and  send  them  as  presents  to  some  of  her  friends 
in  England  ;  when,  what  was  her  astonishment 


LIFE    IN    THE    INSECT    WORLD.  49 

upon  opening  her  trunk,  to  find  within  nothing 
but  a  heap  of  dust.  The  white  ants  had  eaten 
through  the  wooden  bottom,  and  destroyed 
every  article  it  contained. 

Harriet.  I  was  thinking,  a  few  minutes  ago, 
how  I  should  like  to  see  some  of  these  large  ant 
hills,  but  I  am  sure  I  am  very  glad  we  have  none 
of  them  in  this  country.  What  troublesome 
little  creatures  these  ants  must  be.  I  do  not 
see  what  they  have  been  made  for. 

JLunt  M.  Very  troublesome,  it  is  true,  but 
very  useful  also. 

Our  Heavenly  Father  has  created  nothing  in 
vain  ;  and  they,  too,  are  doubtless  designed  to 
serve  one  of  those  wise  and  benevolent  pur- 
poses which  are  to  be  seen  in  every  part  of  His 
great  plan.  In  the  countries  where  the  Ter- 
mites abound,  there  are  very  extensive  forests, 
and  immediately  as  a  tree  falls,  (as  they  fre- 
quently do  from  old  age,)  these  little  animals 
attack  and  soon  destroy  it ;  whereas,  if  it  were 
suffered  to  remain  long  upon  the  ground  in  a 
state  of  decay,  (and  in  these  warm  climates  ve- 
getation decays  more  rapidly  than  with  us,)  it 
would  not  only  render  the  country  unhealthy, 

5* 


50  LIFE    IN    THE    INSECT    WORLD. 

but  would  check  the  growth  of  valuable  plants. 
They  are  particularly  fond  of  wood  that  is  old 
and  dry,  or  beginning  to  decay;  while  they  have 
no  relish  for  healthy,  vigorous  trees,  which  do 
not  require  to  be  destroyed. 

Insects  are  particularly  useful  in  clearing 
away  all  animal  and  vegetable  substances,  and 
have  sometimes  been  called  the  "  Scavengers  of 
Nature." 

These  ants  are  considered  excellent  food  by 
some  of  the  African  nations.  The  Hottentots 
eat  them,  raw  or  boiled,  and  frequently  become 
fat  upon  them.  They  bring  large  kettles  full 
of  them  to  their  houses,  and  sometimes  parch 
them  in  iron  pots  over  a  gentle  fire,  and  in  this 
state,  without  sauce  of  any  kind,  serve  them  up 
as  a  delicious  dish  ;  they  are  said  to  taste  much 
like  sugar  and  cream.  In  the  East  Indies  they 
catch  thorn  in  large  quantities,  and  make  pies 
of  them. 

You  do  not  appear  to  be  at  all  tired  of  my 
Ant  story,  but  I  believe  I  have  now  told  you  as 
much  as  I  can  recollect.  Do  you  think  of  any- 
thing else  you  would  particularly  like  to  hear 
abcut  ? 


LIFE    IN    THE    INSECT    WORLD.  51 

Jlnna.  Tell  us  about  Butterflies,  Aunt  Mary ; 
they  are  so  beautiful. 

ReneS.     Oh,  yes — do  tell  us  about  Butterflies. 

JLunt  M.  I  shall  be  very  glad  to  tell  you 
about  them,  but  it  is  now  nearly  nine  o'clock  ; 
so  good  night. 


52  LIFE    IN    THE    INSECT    WORLD. 


EVENING  FIFTH. 


BUTTERFLIES    AND    MOTHS. 

Aunt  M.  Anna  says,  tell  us  about  butter- 
flies, they  are  so  beautiful.  They  are  indeed 
beautiful ;  coming  with  the  spring,  and  hover- 
ing about  among  the  flowers,  looking,  as  some 
one  says,  like  flying  flowers  themselves — they 
delight  both  children  and  grown  people  ;  and 
they  may  delight  us  still  more  if  we  look  at  them 
as  another  evidence  of  the  kindness  of  our  Hea- 
venly Father,  who  has  not  only  given  us  those 
animals  and  vegetables  which  are  really  neces- 
sary to  our  support,  but  has  filled  the  earth 
with  beautiful  and  pleasant  things,  to  please  the 
eye  and  gratify  the  taste.  He  has  painted  the 
flowers  with  the  richest  colors,  and  has  given 
them  the  sweetest  smell ;  he  has  covered  the 


f 


Feathery  scales  on  the  wings  of  the  Butterfly — greatly  magnified. 
See  page  59. 


53 


LIFE    IN    THE    INSECT    WORLD.  55 

earth  with  different  shades  of  green,  the  color 
which  is  better  suited  to  the  eye  than  any  other; 
and  he  has  so  beautifully  painted  the  wings  of 
the  butterfly,  that  although  we  may  attempt  to 
imitate,  it  is  impossible  for  us  to  equal  its 
richness. 

Every  leaf  and  every  blade  of  grass  is  perfect 
in  beauty •,  the  fruit  which  hangs  upon  the  trees 
is  as  beautiful  as  it  is  delicious ;  the  pretty  birds 
sing  their  cheerful  songs;  the  little  insects  go 
flying  through  the  air ;  the  butterfly  flutters 
about  among  the  flowers ;  and  every  thing  in 
creation  seems  to  say,  "  Rejoice  and  be  thank- 
ful— be  good  and  be  happy." 

Do  you  remember  what  I  told  you  the  other 
evening,  about  the  changes  through  which  in- 
sects pass  ? 

Harriet.     I  do. 

Aunt  M.     What  are  they  ? 

Harriet.  There  is  first  the  egg,  and  then  the 
worm,  and  then  the  chrysalis,  and  then  the  in- 
sect with  wings. 

•ftunt  M.  That  is  all  just  right ;  but  what  is 
the  chrysalis  ? 

Harriet.     The  worm  shut  up  in  a  case. 


56  LIFE    IN    THE    INSECT    WORLD. 

Jlunt  M.  Yes;  and  this  case  is  called  its 
cocoon.  But  what  is  the  worm  called  before  it 
is  shut  up  in  its  case  ? 

Harriet.  Oh,  I  cannot  remember  that  hard 
name. 

•ftunt  M.  Can  either  of  you  remember  what 
the  worm  is  called  ? 

Renee.     It  is  called  larva. 

rfunt  M..     And  why  is  it  called  larva  ? 

Renee.  You  told  us  larva  meant  a  mask, 
and  that  the  butterfly  was  inside  of  the  worm  ; 
but  I  do  not  understand  how  that  can  be. 

rfunt  M.  I  will  tell  you.  Have  you  never 
pulled  to  pieces  a  green  rose  bud,  and  seen  the 
leaves  of  the  flower  closely  folded  up  in  it  ? 

Renee.     Oh,  yes,  I  have  often  seen  that. 

Harriet.     And  so  have  I. 

Jiunt  M.  The  green  rose  bud  is  as  little  like 
the  rose  as  the  caterpillar  is  like  the  butterfly ; 
and  yet  there  is  the  perfect  rose  folded  up  inside 
of  it :  you  may  see  the  same  in  any  other  flower 
bud.  Just  so  the  butterfly  is  concealed  within 
the  body  of  the  worm ;  but  as  you  cannot  see 
the  leaves  of  the  flower  until  the  bud  is  pretty 
fully  grown,  so  the  butterfly  cannot  be  distinctly 


LIFE    IN    THE    INSECT    WORLD.  57 

seen  until  the  caterpillar  is  nearly  prepared  for 
its  chrysalis  state. 

Harriet.  Do  they  cut  the  caterpillar  open  to 
see  this,  Aunt  Mary  ? 

rfunt  M.  The  caterpillar  is  killed  and  put 
into  boiling  water,  when  the  outer  skin  can  be 
peeled  off,  and  the  butterfly,  with  its  wings 
folded  closely  to  its  body,  and  enclosed  in  seve- 
ral thin  skins,  or  membranes,  may  be  distinctly 
seen. 

I  do  not  want  to  tire  you  by  repeating  any- 
thing I  have  already  said ;  but  as  the  changes  of 
insects  are  most  conveniently  seen  in  the  butter- 
fly and  moth  tribe,  I  should  like  to  give  you  a 
more  particular  description  of  them. 

Although,  as  I  have  told  you,  the  butterfly 
lives  entirely  upon  the  sweet  fluid  contained  in 
flowers,  the  caterpillar,  requiring  more  substan- 
tial nourishment,  eats  the  leaves  and  bads  of 
plants ;  and  directed  by  that  wonderful  faculty 
which  the  Creator  has  bestowed  in  a  superior 
degree  upon  the  lower  animals,  and  which  we 
call  instinct,  the  butterfly  never  fails  to  place 
her  eggs  upon  those  plants  upon  which  the  fu- 
ture caterpillar  is  to  feed  ;  and  although  the  va- 
6 


58  LIFE    IN    THE    INSECT    WORLD. 

rious  species  of  butterflies  and  moths  lay  their 
eggs  upon  very  different  kinds  of  plants,  they 
are  always  those  which  are  best  suited  to  the 
wants  of  their  young  ;  and  if  they  are  removed 
from  these  arid  placed  upon  others,  they  gene- 
rally die. 

The  young  caterpillar  grows  rapidly ;  and 
after  casting  its  skin  four  or  five  times,  in  the 
manner  I  have  already  described  to  you,  it 
ceases  to  eat,  and  commences  making  its  co- 
coon. 

The  different  kinds  of  caterpillars  place  them- 
selves in  different  situations  for  the  purpose  of 
making  this  curious  covering.  Some  descend 
into  the  earth ;  some  attach  their  cocoon,  which 
is  made  of  dried  leaves  or  bark,  to  the  boughs  of 
trees ;  some  suspend  themselves  by  a  silken 
cord,  which  they  fasten  around  their  necks;  and 
others  are  simply  glued  to  any  convenient 
place. 

Some  kinds  of  caterpillars  remain  in  this  state 
many  months ;  while  others  become  perfect  in 
a  few  weeks.  During  this  time  great  changes 
are  going  on:  the  different  parts  of  the  butterfly 
become  perfect  and  strong ;  the  wings  are  co- 


LIFE    IN    THE    INSECT    WOULD.  59 

lored,  and  the  insect  acquires  new  life  —  the 
caterpillar  is  changed  into  the  butterfly. 

When  it  is  prepared  to  make  its  escape  from 
its  confinement,  it  destroys  the  end  of  the  cocoon 
with  an  acid  with  which  it  is  provided,  or  bursts 
it  open  in  its  struggles  to  release  itself,  and  comes 
forth  in  all  its  beauty. 

Renet.  I  thought  butterflies  gnawed  off  the 
end  of  the  cocoon. 

Jiunt  M.  No  ;  they  have  nothing  to  gnaw 
with.  Caterpillars  have  jaws,  or  mandibles,  as 
they  are  called,  with  which  they  chew  their 
food ;  but  as  butterflies  live  altogether  upon 
fluids,  they  have  no  need  of  these.  In  some 
cases,  where  the  cocoon  is  made  entirely  of  silk, 
the  butterfly  or  moth  pushes  aside  the  elastic 
threads  on  the  end,  and  works  its  way  out. 

I  have  told  you  that  the  down  upon  the  wings 
and  body  of  the  butterfly  is  composed  of  beau- 
tiful feathery  scales.  The  forms  of  these  scales 
or  feathers  differ  in  the  different  species,  and 
even  in  different  parts  of  the  same  insect.  They 
are  attached,  like  the  feathers  of  birds,  by  very 
minute  quills,  and  lie  folded  one  over  the  other, 
like  the  scales  of  a  fish.  It  is  the  color  of  these 


60  LIFE    IN    THE    INSECT    WORLD. 

feathery  scales  which  forms  the  beauty  of  the 
butterfly ;  and  when  they  are  rubbed  off,  the 
wings  are  gauze-like  and  transparent  as  those 
of  the  common  fly. 

Leuwenhoek,  who,  by  means  of  a  powerful 
microscope,  has  made  many  interesting  obser- 
vations and  discoveries,  counted  upwards  of 
four  hundred  thousand  scales  upon  the  wings 
of  the  silk  worm  moth,  which,  you  know,  is 
quite  a  small  insect  compared  with  many  of  our 
butterflies. 

We  will  now  go  back  to  caterpillars,  as  I 
want  you  to  know  what  ingenious  little  crea- 
tures they  are. 

All  caterpillars  have  the  power  of  spinning 
silk  from  their  bodies  of  different  fineness  and 
color,  generally  white,  yellow,  black,  brown,  or 
gray,  which  they  use  for  various  purposes.  If  a 
caterpillar  sees  a  bird  approaching,  or  if  it 
is  in  danger  of  being  blown  off  a  tree  by 
a  gust  of  wind,  it  throws  out  one  of  these  silken 
threads  and  drops  gently  to  the  ground ;  and 
when  the  danger  is  over,  it  sometimes  draws 
itself  up  by  the  same  thread,  arid  takes  its  place 
again  upon  the  branch.  But  the  silk  is  particu- 


LIFE    IN    THE    INSECT    WORLD.  61 

iarly  useful  in  making  the  little  tents  of  leaves 
in  which  some  of  them  live,  and  in  spinning 
their  cocoons. 

Have  you  ever  noticed  the  caterpillars  which 
draw  together  or  roll  up  the  leaves  of  the  rose 
bush? 

Harriet.  Oh,  yes,  I  have  often  seen  them  ; 
we  have  plenty  of  them  in  our  garden. 

•Anna.     And  so  have  I. 

<ftunt  M.  Did  you  ever  see  them  fasten  the 
leaves  together  ? 

Harriet.  No;  but  we  have  often  pulled 
them  apart,  and  seen  the  worm  inside. 

Jlunt  M.  The  eggs  of  these  caterpillars  are 
often  laid  on  the  fence  or  wall  above  the  bush, 
instead  of  on  the  bush  itself.  They  hatch  about 
the  time  that  the  young  leaves  make  their  ap- 
pearance, and  the  little  caterpillars  fall  down 
upon  them,  and  immediately  begin  to  draw 
them  together,  to  make  a  covering  to  conceal 
themselves  from  observation. 

I  have  watched  them  at  this,  and  it  is  really 

a  very  curious  operation.  The  little  head  moves 

rapidly  from  one  side  of  the  leaf  to  the  other, 

spinning  its  fine  silken  thread  as  it  goes,  and 

6* 


62  LIFE    IN    THE    INSECT    WORLD. 

drawing  the  edges  together  ;  but  it  is  not  satis- 
fied if  the  smallest  crack  remains  open;  and 
after  this  is  done,  it  goes  into  the  middle  of  the 
leaf,  and  taking  hold  of  the  threads  on  the  under 
side,  draws  them  down,  so  as  to  bring  the  edges 
of  the  leaf  together,  when  they  adhere  as  if  they 
had  been  glued.  The  caterpillar,  thus  hidden 
from  view,  feeds  upon  the  buds  and  leaves  of 
the  plant. 

There  are  many  different  kinds  of  leaf-rolling 
caterpillars,  some  of  which  curl  up  the  leaves  like 
a  roll  of  paper,  and  fasten  them  securely  with 
silk.  Some  caterpillars  cut  out  pieces  of  leaf, 
which  they  fasten  skilfully  together,  so  as  to 
form  a  little  tent  or  house,  in  which  they  live. 

But  the  ingenuity  of  caterpillars  is  chiefly  dis- 
played in  their  preparations  for  their  chrysalis 
state.  They  seem  to  know  that  they  are  now 
about  to  be  placed  in  a  very  helpless  situation, 
and  resort  to  very  curious  contrivances  to  con- 
ceal themselves  from  observation.  Some  retire 
to  dark,  out-of-the-way  corners,  and  fastening 
themselves  to  a  fence  or  wall,  weave  over  them 
a  silken  web. 

Those  which  are  satisfied  with  this  flimsy 


LIFE    IN    THE    INSECT    WORLD.  63 

covering,  remain  in  their  chrysalis  state  but  a 
few  weeks;  but  others,  which  are  many  months 
undergoing  their  change,  make  their  cocoons  of 
more  substantial  materials. 

Some  cut  off  pieces  of  grass,  of  which  they 
form  a  little  case,  fastened  together  with  silk 
and  gluten,  and  lined  with  silk. 

Some  make  them  of  pieces  of  chickweed,  cu- 
riously woven  together ;  while  others  use  pieces 
of  leaves  or  thin  bark.  They  are  generally  lined 
with  soft  silk,  so  that  the  caterpillar  has  a  snug 
little  nest  to  lie  in.  No  doubt  you  have  all  no- 
ticed these  cocoons  hanging  to  the  branches  of 
trees,  looking  like  rolls  of  dried  leaves. 

Jlnna.     Oh,  yes,  we  have  often  seen  them. 

Aunt  M.  They  are  so  made  as  to  be  very 
tough  and  strong.  It  is  almost  impossible  to 
tear  them  apart,  and  they  are  so  firmly  attached 
to  the  branch  that  they  cannot  be  shaken  off.  I 
have  sometimes  watched  them  during  a  severe 
winter's  storm.  The  rain  came  pelting  down 
upon  them,  and  the  wind  blew,  until  it  seemed 
as  if  the  branches  themselves  would  break;  but, 
although  the  little  cocoons  swung  violently  back- 


64  LIFE    IN    THE    INSECT    WORLD. 

ward  and  forward,  they  remained  firm  and  strong 
as  the  tree  itself. 

A  gentleman  placed  one  of  these  caterpillars 
in  a  box,  without  providing  it  either  with  leaves 
or  bark,  and  then  watched  it  to  see  what  it  would 
do.  But  the  little  creature  did  not  appear  to  be 
at  a  loss ;  it  crawled  to  the  side  of  the  box,  and 
tearing  off  pieces  of  the  marble  paper  with  which 
it  was  lined,  made,  in  a  few  hours,  a  snug  little 
cocoon,  which  it  fastened  so  firmly  with  silk  and 
gluten,  that  he  could  scarcely  cut  it  with  a  pen- 
knife. 

Many  kinds  of  caterpillars  are  not  satisfied 
with  merely  hiding  themselves  in  their  cocoons, 
but  take  pains,  also,  to  conceal  the  cocoon  itself. 
When  one  of  these,  which  is  sometimes  called 
the  earth-mason  caterpillar,  is  about  to  prepare 
for  its  chrysalis,  it  goes  into  the  ground  to  the 
depth  of  several  inches,  scoops  out  a  little  cell, 
and  selecting  pieces  of  earth  of  a  suitable  size, 
and  kneading  them  to  the  proper  consistency, 
fastens  them  to  the  sides  of  the  cell,  and  binds 
them  together  with  silk.  In  this  way,  it  builds 
several  walls,  one  inside  of  the  other,  all  of 
which  are  made  firm  and  strong  with  silk  and 


LIFE    IN    THE    INSECT    WORLD.  65 

gluten,  and  the  little  nest  is  then  neatly  lined 
with  fine  silk. 

Rem&.  I  had  no  idea  caterpillars  had  so 
much  contrivance.  How  I  should  like  to  see 
them  making  these  nests  ! 

•ftunt  M.  It  is  very  difficult  to  get  a  good 
view  of  them,  as  they  work  so  far  under  ground, 
unless  you  take  the  plan  of  a  French  naturalist, 
named  Reaumur ;  who,  after  permitting  the  ca- 
terpillar to  construct  a  part  of  its  nest,  dug  it  up 
and  placed  it  in  a  box.  We  should  have  sup- 
posed, that  being  thus  disturbed  and  exposed  to 
the  light,  it  would  have  stopped  work ;  but  in- 
sects feel  so  strongly  the  necessity  of  providing 
for  the  great  change,  that  they  cannot  easily  be 
prevented  from  carrying  on  their  operations. 
Accordingly,  as  soon  as  the  poor  caterpillar  was 
safely  lodged  in  the  naturalist's  box,  it  drew  it- 
self out  of  its  unfinished  nest,  and  began  to  look 
around  for  building  materials.  A  little  earth 
was  then  placed  within  its  reach,  from  which 
it  soon  selected  a  piece  suited  to  its  purpose, 
which  it  fitted  into  the  wall,  and  secured  with 
silk ;  it  then  picked  out  another,  which  it  fitted 
in  the  same  manner,  choosing  the  larger  and 


66  LIFE    IN    THE    INSECT    WORLD. 

coarser  pieces  for  the  outside,  and  the  smaller 
and  finer  for  the  inside  of  the  nest,  which  it 
made  perfectly  smooth. 

When  the  sides  were  sufficiently  high,  it 
wanted  to  close  the  opening  in  the  top  of  the 
nest,  and  this,  too,  must  be  done  with  earth  and 
silk,  and  must  be  made  as  strong  and  solid  as 
the  walls. 

You  know  the  earth  was  on  the  bottom  of 
the  box,  and  when  the  caterpillar  wanted  a 
piece,  it  had  to  reach  out  and  get  it;  but  it  could 
not  do  this  any  longer,  because  it  had  now  to 
shut  itself  in,  and  must,  of  course,  work  alto- 
gether inside  of  the  nest,  and  yet  the  top  must 
be  made  of  earth. 

How  would  you  have  managed  to  do  this,  if 
you  had  been  in  the  caterpillar's  situation  ? 

Harriet.     Indeed,  I  cannot  tell. 

Mary.     I  would  have  done  without  a  top. 

Renee.  I  think  I  know  what  I  would  have 
done.  I  would  have  taken  some  of  the  earth 
into  the  nest  with  me,  and  then  tried  if  I  could 
not  work  it  over  the  top  from  the  inside. 

Aunt  M.  And  the  caterpillar  did  just  so.  It 
carried  a  quantity  of  earth  with  it  into  the  nest, 


LIFE    IN    THE    INSECT    WORLD.  69 

and  then  weaving  over  the  top  a  thick  covering 
of  silk,  took  up  the  earth,  piece  by  piece,  and 
pushed  it  up  into  the  silk. 

The  naturalist  watched  it  until  the  top  became 
so  thick  that  he  could  see  it  no  longer,  but  he 
found  the  little  creature  was  still  moving  about ; 
no  doubt  finishing  its  nest,  and  lining  it  with  silk. 

Some  caterpillars  prefer  living  in  families  to 
being  always  alone,  and  make  large  dwellings, 
where  hundreds  of  them  live  together.  These 
nests  are  formed  of  a  tough  material  resembling 
paper,  and  are  sometimes  two  or  three  feet  in 
length. 

When  these  social  caterpillars  go  out  in  search 
of  food,  they  travel  in  long  lines,  with  a  leader 
at  their  head  ;  and  their  nests  are  kept  well  sup- 
plied with  the  leaves  upon  which  they  feed.  I 
do  not  know  that  they  have  ever  been  seen  in 
this  country,  but  they  are  found  in  some  parts 
of  Europe. 

Renee.  Aunt  Mary,  do  all  the  caterpillars  of 
which  you  have  been  telling  us,  become  butter- 
flies, or  are  some  of  them  moths  ? 

JLunt  M.  Some  of  them  become  butterflies, 
and  others  moths. 

7 


70  LIFE    IN    THE    INSECT    WORLD. 

The  larvae  of  butterflies  and  moths  are  called 
caterpillars ;  those  of  beetles,  bees,  wasps,  &c., 
grubs  ;  and  those  of  flies,  maggots.  Many  peo- 
ple, however,  call  the  whole  race  worms ;  but 
entomologists,  by  which  I  mean  those  who  un- 
derstand the  science  of  insects,  which  is  called 
Entomology,  generally  make  these  distinctions. 

•ftnna.     Are  moths  and  millers  the  same  ? 

Jlunt  M.  Yes  ;  moths  are  frequently  called 
millers. 

Harriet.  What  is  the  difference  between 
butterflies  and  moths  ? 

Jlunt  M.  One  of  the  most  important  distinc- 
tions between  them  is,  that  butterflies  fly  only 
in  the  day,  and  moths  generally  fly  at  night.  A 
few  species  of  moths,  however,  may  frequently 
be  seen  in  the  day-time.  There  is  a  difference, 
also,  in  the  form  of  their  antennae ;  those  of 
butterflies  being  thicker  at  the  end,  while  those 
of  moths  are  pointed. 

The  chrysalides  of  moths  are  generally  wrap- 
ped in  cocoons  of  silk,  and  are  mostly  somewhat 
egg-shaped  ;  while  those  of  butterflies  are  with- 
out this  silken  covering,  and  are  of  different 
forms. 


LIFE    IN    THE    INSECT    WORLD.  71 

Harriet.  I  should  like  to  know  something 
about  the  moth  that  eats  woollen  clothes.  I 
have  often  heard  mother  say  that  our  woollen 
clothes  must  be  put  away,  or  they  would  be 
eaten  by  the  moths.  It  is  a  very  queer  thing 
to  eat ;  I  should  not  think  it  would  be  at  all 
good. 

Jiunt  M.  I  am  very  glad  to  be  reminded 
of  this  moth,  because  it  is  a  very  curious  little 
insect,  and  I  should  like  you  to  know  something 
about  it.  Are  Anna  and  Mary  sleepy  ? 

Mary.  No,  Aunt  Mary;  just  look  at  me, — 
my  eyes  are  as  wide  open  as  ever. 

Aunt  M.     Arid  how  are  Anna's  ? 

Jlnna.     I  am  not  sleepy,  neither. 

JLunt  M.  Then  you  may  stay  a  few  minutes 
longer,  while  I  tell  you  about  the  woollen 
moth. 

This  little  moth  can  make  its  way  through 
very  small  openings,  and  even  if  the  closet  door 
is  locked  and  the  drawer  closed,  it  will  often 
contrive  to  glide  through  the  crack  or  key-hole, 
and  lay  its  eggs  upon  any  woollen  garment  it 
may  find  there  ;  being  careful  to  place  them  at 
considerable  distances  apart,  so  that  the  young 


72  LIFE    IN    THE    INSECT    WORLD. 

caterpillar  may  find  plenty  of  materials  around 
it,  both  for  food  and  clothing ;  for,  like  some 
others  of  which  I  have  told  you,  it  will  not  re- 
main uncovered,  and  as  soon  as  it  is  hatched,  it 
goes  to  work  to  make  itself  a  little  garment,  or 
case,  of  wool.  For  this  purpose,  it  cuts  off  the 
long  hairs  or  nap  of  the  cloth,  and  using  its  own 
body  (as  is  the  practice  with  caterpillars)  for  a 
measuring  rule,  makes  a  little  case  just  its  own 
length,  with  a  hole  in  the  end,  out  of  which  it 
thrusts  its  head  when  it  eats,  and  feeds  upon  the 
shorter  hairs  which  form  the  body  of  the  cloth. 
As  the  caterpillar  grows,  its  case  becomes  too 
small,  and  it  is  obliged  to  enlarge  it.  For  this 
purpose,  it  cuts  it  open  on  one  side,  and  sets  in 
a  piece  of  cloth,  more  neatly  than  a  tailor  could 
put  a  stitch  in  a  coat ;  it  then  opens  the  other 
side,  which  it  pieces  in  the  same  manner.  It 
has  grown  longer,  too,  and  the  case  is  of  course 
too  short,  and  it  is  obliged  to  lengthen  it  by  put- 
ting a  piece  on  each  end  ; — so  that  if  the  origi- 
nal color  of  the  case  be  white,  and  the  caterpil- 
lar, when  it  is  ready  to  enlarge  it,  should  be 
placed  upon  green  cloth,  it  would  have  a  green 
stripe  down  each  side,  and  a  green  piece  at  each 
end. 


LIFE    IN    THE    INSECT    WORLD.  73 

There  are  at  least  four  different  kinds  of  moths, 
which  will  destroy  clothing  of  wool,  silk,  fur,  and 
leather. 

But  it  is  quite  bed  time ;  so  good  night. 


7* 


74  LIFE    IN    THE    INSECT    WORLD. 


EVENING   SIXTH. 


SILK    WORMS. 

Jlunt  M.  The  rearing  of  silk  worms  was  so 
common  amongst  us  a  few  years  ago,  that  I 
suppose  you  have  all  seen  them. 

Harriet.  Oh,  yes,  I  know  all  about  silk 
worms.  I  had  some  eggs  given  to  me,  and  when 
the  little  worms  came  out,  I  took  care  of  them, 
and  fed  them  with  mulberry  leaves ;  but  they 
all  died  except  three,  which  lived  to  make  their 
cocoons. 

Rene6.  I  have  seen  them,  too,  though  I 
never  had  any.  How  pretty  their  cocoons  are  ! 

•ftunt  M.  Suppose  Harriet  tells  us  what 
she  knows  about  them.  What  color  are  they, 
Harriet  ? 


LIFE    IN    THE    INSECT    WORLD.  75 

Harriet.  Some  of  them  are  white,  arid  others 
gray. 

Aunt  M.  Did  you  ever  see  them  change  their 
skin  ? 

Harriet.  Yes,  I  have  seen  them  several 
times.  The  head  came  out  first,  and  then  the 
body,  and  one  of  them  died  while  it  was  strug- 
gling to  draw  out  its  tail. 

Aunt  M.  And  how  did  they  spin  their  co- 
coons ? 

Harriet.  Father  got  me  a  branch  of  a  tree, 
and  two  or  three  little  papers  rolled  up,  and  one 
of  them  then  went  on  the  branch,  and  the  two 
others  into  the  papers.  I  do  not  remember  much 
about  it,  only  that  the  one  that  was  on  the  branch 
spun  threads  of  silk  from  one  twig  to  another, 
and  then  spun  silk  round  and  round  itself,  until 
it  was  entirely  wrapped  up  in  it,  and  looked 
like  a  beautiful  little  yellow  egg.  The  two  other 
cocoons  were  white. 

Aunt  M.  That  is  a  very  good  description  ; 
but  what  about  the  moths  that  came  out  of  the 
cocoons  ? 

Harriet.  I  only  saw  one  of  them  come  out, 
but  I  remember  they  were  pretty,  white  moths, 


76  LIFE    IN    THE    INSECT    WORLD. 

and  laid  their  little  yellow  eggs  on  a  sheet  of 
white  paper,  upon  which  mother  put  them. 

Jlunt  M.  Harriet  has  told  us  so  much,  that 
there  is  not  a  great  deal  for  me  to  tell. 

The  silk  worm,  like  most  other  caterpillars, 
changes  its  skin  four  times,  and  soon  after  the 
fourth  moult,  (as  the  changing  of  the  skin  is 
called,)  it  begins  to  spin  its  cocoon.  This  is 
composed  of  three  different  kinds  of  silk ;  the 
loose  silk  which  forms  the  outside  is  called  floss, 
and  is  probably  designed  to  protect  it  from  the 
rain,  as  you  must  remember  the  silk  worm  was 
not  intended  to  be  reared  in  the  house,  but  to 
live  in  the  open  air.  The  second  covering  is  com- 
posed of  fine  silk,  which  keeps  off  the  cold,  and  it 
is  this  portion  of  the  cocoon  which  is  principally 
used  in  our  manufactories.  Immediately  around 
the  body  of  the  insect,  the  silk  is  made  firm  and 
tough  with  gum,  which  effectually  defends  it, 
both  from  air  and  moisture.  After  remaining 
a  short  time  in  its  chrysalis  state,  it  destroys  the 
end  of  the  cocoon,  and  comes  out  the  beautiful 
little  white  moth  which  Harriet  has  described ; 
but  this  breaks  the  thread,  and  it  cannot  be  wound 
off.  Those,  therefore,  who  keep  them  for  the 


LIFE    IN    THE    INSECT    WORLD.  77 

purpose  of  making  silk,  only  allow  a  few  of 
them  to  come  out,  to  lay  eggs  for  a  future  sup- 
ply; while  they  remove  the  floss  from  the  others, 
throw  them  into  warm  water,  and  stir  them 
about  with  twigs,  so  as  to  wash  off  the  gummy 
substance  that  may  have  adhered  to  them  while 
the  worm  was  spinning. 

They  then  take  the  threads  of  several  cocoons 
at  once,  and  wind  them  off  upon  a  reel,  after 
which  the  refuse,  consisting  of  the  floss  and 
gummy  silk,  which  I  have  told  you  was  imme- 
diately around  the  body  of  the  caterpillar,  is  card- 
ed like  wool,  and  used  for  making  coarser  stuffs. 

The  thread  which  is  wound  off  after  the  floss 
is  removed  is  unbroken,  and  is  from  six  hundred 
to  a  thousand  feet  in  length ;  and  yet  the  co- 
coons are  so  light,  that  it  takes  upwards  of  ten 
thousand  of  them  to  make  five  pounds  of  silk. 
Only  think  what  an  immense  number  of  worms 
must  be  employed  to  make  the  vast  quantity  of 
silk  we  now  use. 

Silk  worms  were  originally  brought  from 
China  and  the  East  Indies,  where  the  first  silk 
was  manufactured  many  hundred  years  ago, 
and  sent  from  thence  to  Europe  in  small  quan- 


78  LIFE    IN    THE    INSECT    WORLD. 

titles.  But  it  was  sold  at  such  an  extravagant 
price,  that  it  was  considered  too  expensive  to 
be  worn  even  by  kings ;  so  that  when  the  Em- 
peror Aurelian  was  asked  by  the  Empress  if  he 
would  give  her  a  silk  dress,  he  answered  that 
he  could  not  afford  it ;  and  James  the  Sixth  of 
Scotland  borrowed  a  pair  of  silk  stockings  from 
the  Earl  of  Mar,  to  appear  in  before  the  English 
ambassador. 

The  Roman  people  could  not  imagine  of  what 
the  beautiful  article  was  made ;  some  thought 
it  was  the  inside  of  a  spider-like  insect,  that  was 
first  fed  upon  a  sort  of  paste,  and  afterwards 
upon  the  leaves  of  the  willow,  until  it  burst 
with  fat ;  some  thought  it  was  produced  by  a 
shell-fish  ;  some  that  it  grew  upon  trees  ;  while 
others  believed  it  to  be  made  by  a  worm,  which 
built  nests  of  clay,  and  collected  wax. 

Some  of  these  insects  were  afterward  sent 
into  Persia,  and  they  were  soon  spread  over 
various  parts  of  Europe,  where  the  mulberry 
trees  (upon  the  leaves  of  which  they  feed)  were 
cultivated,  and  the  manufacture  of  silk  was  ex- 
tensively carried  on. 

There  are  several  other  species  of  caterpillars, 


LIFE    IN    THE    INSECT    WORLD.  79 

besides  the  common  silk  worm,  which  weave 
silk  capable  of  being  manufactured  ;  but  it  is  of 
a  coarser  kind,  and  has  not  yet  been  made  of 
much  use. 

I  remember  having  heard  Renee  repeat  a 
pretty  little  piece,  called  "The  Silk  Worm's 
Will."  If  she  can  recollect  it  now,  I  think  we 
shall  all  be  glad  to  hear  it. 

Harriet.  Oh,  yes,  Renee,  do  repeat  it  to 
us. 

Reneb.  I  will,  if  I  can  remember  it ;  I  have 
been  thinking  about  it  this  evening. 

THE  SILK  WORM'S  WILL. 

On  a  plain  rush  hurdle  a  silk  worm  lay, 
When  a  proud  young  princess  came  that  way. 
The  haughty  child  of  a  human  king 
Threw  a  sidelong  glance  at  the  humble  thing, 
That  took,  with  a  silent  gratitude, 
From  the  mulberry-leaf  her  simple  food, — 
And  shrunk,  half  scorn  arid  half  disgust, 
Away  from  her  sister  child  of  dust ; 
Declaring  she  never  yet  could  see 
Why  a  reptile  form  like  this  should  be, 
Arid  that  she  was  not  made  with  nerves  so  firm 
As  calmly  to  stand  by  a  «  crawling  worm  !" 

With  mute  forbearance  the  silk  worm  took 
The  taunting  words  and  the  spurning  look ; 


80  LIFE    IN    THE    INSECT    WORLD. 

Alike  a  stranger  to  self  and  pride, 

She  'd  no  disquiet  f:om  aught  beside, 

And  lived  of  a  meekness  and  peace  possessed, 

Which  these  debar  from  the  human  breast. 

She  only  wished,  for  the  harsh  abuse, 

To  find  some  way  to  become  of  use 

To  the  haughty  daughter  of  lordly  man, 

And  thus  did  she  lay  a  noble  plan 

To  teach  her  wisdom,  and  make  it  plain 

That  the  humble  worm  was  not  made  in  vain ; 

A  plan  so  generous,  deep,  and  high, 

That,  to  carry  it  out,  she  must  even  die. 

«  No  more,"  said  she,  »  will  I  drink  or  eat ! 
I'll  spin  and  weave  me  a  winding-sheet, 
To  wrap  me  up  from  the  sun's  clear  light, 
And  hide  my  form  from  her  wounded  sight. 
In  secret  then,  till  my  end  draws  nigh, 
I'll  toil  for  her ;  and  when  I  die, 
I'll  leave  behind,  as  a  farewell  boon, 
To  the  proud  young  princess,  my  whole  cocoon, 
To  be  reeled  and  wove  to  a  shining  lace, 
And  hung  in  a  veil  o'er  her  scornful  face  ! 
And  when  she  can  calmly  draw  her  breath 
Through  the  very  threads  that  have  caused  my  death  ; 
When  she  finds,  at  length,  she  has  nerves  so  firm 
As  to  wear  the  shroud  of  a  crawling  worm ; 
May  she  bear  in  mind,  that  she  walks  with  pride 
In  the  winding-sheet  where  the  silk  worm  died !" 

Anna.    That  is  a  very  pretty  piece,  but  the 
silk  worm  could  not  think  all  that. 


LIFE    IN    THE     INSECT    WORLD.  81 

JZunt  M.  Of  course  not ;  but  the  piece  is 
intended  to  show  that  it  is  wrong  for  us  to  despise 
any  living  thing,  and  it  is  an  excellent  reproof 
to  those  silly  people,  who,  while  they  are  vain 
of  their  silken  finery,  look  with  scorn  upon  the 
little  animal  that  made  it. 


82  LIFE    IN    THE    INSECT    WORLD. 


EVENING  SEVENTH. 

DEATH    WATCH,  &C. 

JLnna.  Is  the  Death- Watch  an  insect,  Aunt 
Mary  ?  I  remember  a  little  girl  once  telling  me, 
that  for  several  nights  before  her  father  died, 
they  heard  the  death-watch  ticking  in  his  room. 
She  said  that  some  one  told  her  the  noise  was 
made  by  an  insect,  but  she  did  not  believe  it. 
She  had  always  before  heard  it  was  a  sign  of 
death,  and  she  was  now  perfectly  sure  that  it 
was  so.  For  a  long  time  afterward  I  always 
covered  up  my  head  when  I  went  to  bed  at 
night,  for  fear  I  should  hear  the  death-watch. 

Jiunt  M.  I  am  glad  to  be  able  to  satisfy  you 
upon  this  point. 

The  death-watch  is  an  insect;  very  small  and 
perfectly  white,  with  a  yellow  mouth  and  red 


LIFE    IN    THE    INSECT    WORLD.  83 

eyes.  It  is  very  much  afraid  of  being  discovered, 
and  generally  chooses  to  make  its  habitation  in 
old  wood,  sometimes  in  old  books,  or  the  paper 
on  walls,  and  frequently  in  the  back  of  an  old 
bureau,  where  it  has  little  fear  of  being  observ- 
ed, or  intruded  upon  ;  and  lives  very  snugly, 
quite  unconscious  of  the  alarm  it  may  occa- 
sion by  its  ticking,  which  is  produced  by  the 
striking  of  its  head  and  wings  against  the  wood 
where  it  has  taken  shelter. 

Some  ignorant  persons  have  supposed  that 
because  they  heard  the  sound,  without  seeing 
any  thing  which  could  produce  it,  it  must  be 
intended  as  a  sign  to  them  of  approaching  death  ; 
and  as  the  noise  very  much  resembles  the  tick- 
ing of  a  watch,  it  has,  from  this  circumstance, 
been  called  the  Death- Watch.  This  foolish 
notion  has  been  handed  down  from  father  to 
son,  and  even  now,  it  appears,  causes  little  girls 
to  tremble,  and  cover  up  their  heads  at  night, 
lest  they  should  hear  the  dreaded  sound. 

I  recollect  some  amusing  lines  of  Dean  Swift's, 
which  I  will  repeat  to  you  : 

"  A  wood  worm 
That  lies  in  old  wood,  like  a  hare  in  her  form. 


84  LIFE    IN    THE    INSECT    WORLD. 

With  teeth,  or  with  claws,  it  will  bite,  it  will  scratch, 

And  chamber-maids  christen  this  worm  a  Death- Watch  ; 

Because,  like  a  watch,  it  always  cries  click — 

Then  wo  be  to  those  in  the  house  that  are  sick ! 

For,  sure  as  a  gun,  they  will  give  up  the  ghost, 

If  the  maggot  cries  click,  when  it  scratches  the  post. 

But  a  kettle  of  scalding  hot  water  injected, 

Infallibly  cures  the  timber  affected  : 

The  omen  is  broken,  the  danger  is  over ; 

The  maggot  will  die,  and  the  sick  will  recover." 

Anna.  I  am  sure  I  shall  never  be  afraid  of 
the  death-watch  again. 

Aunt  M.  I  hope  not. — There  are  some  other 
insects  which  have  also  been  regarded  by  the 
ignorant  with  superstitious  feeling  ;  one  called 
the  Death's-head  Moth,  which  makes  a  sort  of 
crying  sound,  as  well  as  several  different  kinds 
of  beetles.  It  seems  rather  hard  that  the  poor 
little  creatures  are  not  allowed  to  use  their  na- 
tural language,  without  being  looked  upon  with 
dread  and  horror. 

There  is  an  insect  called  the  Praying  Mantis, 
which  the  ancients  considered  sacred,  and  would 
not  suffer  to  be  killed ;  because,  as  it  was  fre- 
quently observed  holding  up  its  fore  paws  in  the 
attitude  of  prayer,  they  believed  it  to  be  extreme- 
ly devout.  But  more  enlightened  observation 


LIFE    IN    THE    INSECT    WORLD.  85 

proves  that  it  only  throws  itself  into  this  posi- 
tion, that  it  may  be  able  more  readily  to  pounce 
upon  its  prey. 

While  the  life  of  the  Mantis  has  been  thus 
carefully  preserved  on  account  of  its  devo- 
tional attitude,  the  Turks  have  considered  it  an 
equally  solemn  duty  to  destroy  a  certain  species 
of  Lizard,  common  in  the  East,  because,  by 
always  going  about  with  its  head  bent  down- 
ward, they  believed  it  intended  to  mimic  them 
at  their  prayers. 

Superstition  has  always  been  one  of  the  great- 
est enemies  to  the  improvement  and  happiness 
of  man  ;  but  as  the  world  is  becoming  more  en- 
lightened, many  of  these  foolish  notions  are 
gradually  passing  away.  About  one  hundred 
and  fifty  years  ago,  persons  afflicted  with  any 
disease  which  affected  them  strangely,  and 
which  could  not  be  accounted  for,  as  well  as 
those  suffering  from  derangement  of  mind,  or 
manifesting  any  striking  peculiarities,  were  be- 
lieved to  be  possessed  of  evil  spirits,  or,  as  they 
termed  it,  bewitched ;  and  the  individual  who 
was  suspected  of  having  exerted  this  influence 
over  them,  was  liable  to  be  tried  before  the 
8* 


86  LIFE    IN    THE    INSECT    WORLD. 

court,  condemned,  and  cruelly  put  to  death.  It 
used  to  be  a  common  practice  to  nail  a  horse 
shoe  on  the  outer  door  of  a  house,  to  keep  off 
the  witches. 

But  although  people  have  become  convinced 
of  the  absurdity  of  these  notions,  there  are  some 
things,  almost  equally  ridiculous,  which  still 
cause  much  unhappiness  to  persons  of  weak 
minds,  and  often  sadly  frighten  innocent  little 
children. 

When  a  looking-glass,  for  want  of  a  secure  fas- 
tening, falls  upon  the  floor  and  breaks  ;  when  a 
piece  of  furniture,  as  it  expands  and  contracts 
with  the  changes  of  the  weather,  makes  a  crack- 
ing sound ;  wh$n  a  dog  happens  to  stop  and  howl 
under  the  window;  or  a  harmless  little  insect 
chirps  in  its  secret  hiding  place  ;  they  believe  it  to 
be  a  sign  of  death  to  some  individual  in  the  house, 
and  thus  often  occasion  themselves  a  vast  deal 
of  unnecessary  misery. 

JRene6.  But,  Aunt  Mary,  suppose  a  death 
should  follow  immediately  after  the  sign,  as  it 
did  with  the  father  of  the  little  girl  Anna  spoke 
•of  a  while  ago,  what  are  we  to  think  then  ? 

Jlunt  M.     That  the  sign  had  nothing  at  all 


LIFE    IN    THE    INSECT    WORLD.  87 

to  do  with  it ;  or  rather  that  it  was  no  sign  at 
all.  Was  the  little  girl's  father  sick  at  the  time 
they  heard  the  sound  ? 

Jlnna.     Yes. 

Jiunt  M.  And  he  would  have  died  whether 
the  insect  had  ticked  or  not,  and  it  would  have 
ticked  whether  he  had  died  or  not ;  although, 
probably,  the  family  might  not  then  have  noticed 
it,  or,  if  they  had,  it  would  soon  have  passed 
from  their  minds,  and  been  entirely  forgotten. 
It  is  very  probable  that  they  may  have  heard 
the  same  sound,  or  others  equally  ominous, 
twenty  times  before  ;  but  as  no  death  followed, 
no  account  was  taken  of  it. 

Although  you  are  little  girls,  you  can  readily 
see,  that  if  a  sign  is  a  true  one,  it  must  be  true 
always  ;  if  it  fail  in  one  single  instance,  then  it 
is  certainly  proved  to  be  false:  it  cannot  be  a 
true  sign  if  it  has  ever  been  known  to  fail. 

I  want  you,  my  dear  little  girls,  not  only  to 
rid  yourselves  of  all  these  silly  superstitions,  but 
to  try  to  convince  those  poor  little  children? 
whose  opportunities  for  gaining  the  right  kind 
of  education  are  far  more  limited  than  your 
own,  that  there  is  no  cause  whatever  for  their 


88  LIFE    IN    THE    INSECT    WORLD. 

foolish  fears;  and  that  many  of  those  things 
which  they  have  been  taught  to  look  upon  as 
signs  and  omens,  can  be  explained  entirely  to 
their  satisfaction,  and  found  to  proceed  from 
perfectly  natural  causes.  Remind  them,  and 
always  keep  in  remembrance  yourselves,  that 
we  are  all  under  the  care  of  a  kind  and  loving 
Father,  who  sleeps  not  by  night,  nor  slumbers 
by  day;  that  not  a  sparrow  falleth  to  the  ground 
without  His  notice ;  and  surely  He  who  careth 
for  the  sparrows,  will  never  forget  his  dependant 
children. 

But  we  have  talked  about  superstition  till  it 
is  so  late,  that  I  will  not  commence  the  subject  I 
had  proposed  for  our  conversation  this  even- 
ing. I  intended  to  tell  you  something  about 
Crickets  ;  but  perhaps  our  time  has  been  quite 
as  profitably  employed,  and  we  will  leave  them 
for  the  present. 


LIFE    IN    THE    INSECT    WORLD. 


EVENING  EIGHTH. 

CRICKETS. 

In  our  city  houses  we  have  not  much  oppor- 
tunity of  becoming  acquainted  with  the  little 
crickets  which,  in  the  country,  often  chirp  so  mer- 
rily in  the  chimney  corner,  of  a  winter's  evening. 

There  is  nothing  very  remarkable  about  this 
little  insect,  neither  is  its  chirping  particularly 
musical,  but  it  seems  to  have  a  peculiarly  plea- 
sant and  soothing  effect  upon  the  mind  ;  and  it 
is  probably  on  this  account  that  we  see  it  so 
frequently  and  pleasantly  alluded  to,  even  by 
our  best  writers.  The  celebrated  poet,  Milton, 
chose  to  pass  many  of  his  thoughtful  hours  in  a 
spot  where  crickets  resided: 

«  Far  from  all  resort  of  mirth, 
Save  the  cricket  on  the  hearth." 


90  LIFE    IN    THK    INSECT    WORLD. 

Crickets  are  of  the  same  tribe  or  family  of  in- 
sects as  the  grasshopper,  which  they  resemble 
in  appearance.  The  sound  of  which  I  have 
been  speaking  is  made  under  the  wings,  and 
only  by  the  male  cricket ;  the  female  is  always 
silent. 

They  do  not  require  as  much  of  the  mother's 
care  as  most  other  insects ;  for  as  soon  as  they 
are  hatched,  they  are  sufficiently  strong  and 
active  to  seek  their  own  food,  and  may  be  seen 
hopping  about  the  hearth  when  they  are  not 
much  larger  than  a  flea. 

They  do  not  provide  houses  or  nests  for  the 
accommodation  of  themselves  and  their  young, 
but  establish  themselves  in  warm  chimneys  or 
ovens,  where  they  scrape  out  holes  in  the  mor- 
tar, and  take  up  their  winter  quarters.  They 
generally  prefer  a  kitchen  chimney  where  there 
is  a  constant  fire,  and  where  they  can  readily 
supply  themselves  with  board  as  well  as  lodg- 
ing ;  for  they  are  fond  of  bread,  vegetables, 
broth,  and  pot  skimmings,  and  are  very  willing, 
also,  to  have  a  little  animal  food  occasionally, 
in  the  form  of  a  cockroach,  or  some  such  dainty. 
They  have  often  been  known  to  destroy  wet 


LIFE    IN    THE    INSECT    WORLD.  91 

woollen  clothes,  which  have  been  left  hanging 
around  the  fire  at  night,  but  it  is  believed  it  is 
not  the  wool  they  fancy,  but  the  moisture  it 
contains. 

Harriet.  I  have  sometimes  heard  crickets, 
but  I  never  could  get  to  see  them. 

•flunt  M.  They  are  very  much  afraid  of 
noise  and  light,  and  do  not  often  make  their 
appearance  in  the  day-time ;  but  when  the 
house  is  quiet  and  dark,  they  come  out  of  their 
hiding  places,  and  hop  about  the  room  in  search 
of  food.  If  a  light  is  brought,  they  are  alarmed, 
and  may  be  seen  quickly  and  lightly  hopping 
back  to  their  holes  in  the  wall.  This  jumping 
motion  and  their  lively  music  has  probably 
given  rise  to  the  common  saying,  "  as  merry  as 
a  cricket." 

A  woman,  whose  chimneys  had  been  for  a 
long  time  the  resort  of  crickets,  had  become  ex- 
ceedingly tired  of  them,  and  tried  various  means 
to  get  rid  of  them,  but  in  vain.  At  length  she 
succeeded  by  accident.  She  had  a  wedding  in 
her  house,  and  a  band  of  music  for  the  enter- 
tainment of  the  company.  The  noise  of  the 
drums  effectually  frightened  the  poor  crickets  ; 


92  LIFE    IN    THE    INSECT     WORLD. 

they  left  the  house, and  never  afterward  returned 
to  it. 

Although  these  little  creatures,  like  ourselves, 
love  a  warm  fire  in  the  cold  winter  season,  yet 
as  soon  as  summer  comes  with  its  soft  airs  and 
warm  sunshine,  they  prefer  fields  and  gardens, 
where,  in  the  bushes,  among  rubbish,  or  in  the 
cracks  made  in  the  ground  by  dry  weather,  they 
will  chirp  merrily  enough  ;  but  on  the  approach 
of  winter  they  return  to  their  old  retreat  in  the 
wall. 

There  are  several  kinds  of  crickets  :  those 
about  which  I  have  been  telling  you  are  called 
House  Crickets. 

There  is  also  the  Field  Cricket,  which  is 
of  a  beautiful  green  color,  and  lives  in  a  hole 
made  in  the  ground,  about  five  or  six  inches  in 
depth.  In  passing  by  a  field  on  a  warm  sum- 
mer evening,  you  may  sometimes  see  great 
numbers  of  these  pretty  little  insects  standing  at 
the  entrance  of  their  holes,  and  singing  their 
evening  song  ;  but  it  is  almost  impossible  to  get 
near  enough  to  examine  them,  for  as  soon  as 
they  observe  you,  or  hear  the  sound  of  your 
footsteps,  their  song  ceases,  and  they  quickly 
disappear  under  the  ground. 


LIPE    IN    THE    INSECT    WORLD.  93 

It  is  said  the  Africans  and  Spaniards  keep 
crickets  in  cages,  for  the  sake  of  their  music,  as 
we  do  singing  birds. 

tflnna.  What  a  shame,  to  take  the  poor  little 
things  out  of  the  fields,  where  they  are  so  happy, 
and  confine  them  in  a  close  cage.  ! 

Harriet.  It  is  no  worse  than  keeping  birds 
in  cages.  When  I  was  in  the  country  last  sum- 
mer, and  saw  the  birds  flying  about,  and  heard 
them  singing  in  the  trees,  I  thought  how  wicked 
it  would  be  for  me  to  take  one  of  the  pretty  little 
creatures,  and  shut  it  up  in  a  cage.  I  saw,  too, 
what  I  never  saw  before — a  nest  in  a  bush,  with 
several  young  birds  in  it.  I  often  went  to  see 
them,  but  was  very  careful  not  to  go  near 
enough  to  frighten  them.  One  day  I  saw  the 
old  bird  coming  toward  the  nest  with  a  worm 
in  her  mouth  ;  I  hid  myself  behind  a  bush,  and 
stood  quite  still.  The  little  ones  all  began  to 
chuckle,  and  the  old  bird  dropped  the  worm 
into  the  mouth  of  one  of  them,  and  then  flew 
away  and  brought  another,  and  another,  until 
she  had  fed  them  all.  The  little  ones  seemed  so 
glad  to  be  fed,  and  the  mother  so  happy  in  feeding 
them  ;  and  then  I  thought,  suppose  I  was  to 
9 


94  LIFE    IN    THE    INSECT    WORLD. 

take  away  the  mother,  how  the  little  ones  would 
grieve,  and  wonder  what  had  become  of  her, 
and  at  last  die  for  want  of  food ;  and  she,  poor 
thing,  would  be  shut  up  all  the  time  in  my 
painted  cage,  and  every  time  she  sang  I  should 
think  she  was  mourning  for  her  young  ones, 
and  begging  me  to  let  her  go  to  them. 

<ftunt  M.  She  would,  indeed,  have  mourned 
sadly,  pecked  at  her  prison  bars,  fluttered  her 
wings,  and  struggled  to  get  out.  And  she  would 
not  only  have  grieved  for  the  little  ones  she 
loved,  but  for  the  freedom  she  had  always  be- 
fore enjoyed,  and  perhaps  wondered  what 
dreadful  monster  had  deprived  her  of  it.  How 
she  had  rejoiced  in  the  free  use  of  her  wings, 
flying  through  the  air  for  miles  together; — how 
she  had  sat  in  the  trees,  and  sung  in  the  fulness 
of  her  joy,  or  chattered  merrily  with  her  com- 
panions ; — how  she  and  her  beloved  mate  had 
twittered  over  the  straws,  as  they  wove  their 
nest; — how  carefully  she  had  tended  the  dear 
little  ones,  searched  for  food  for  them,  and 
taught  them  to  fly — and  what  is  her  situation 
now  ?  Deprived  of  all  these  sweet  pleasures, 
fed  upon  unnatural  food,  and  confined  in  a 


LIFE    IN    THE    INSECT    WORLD.  95 

space  so  small  that  she  cannot  use  her  wings, 
and  is  only  allowed  to  hop  from  one  perch  to 
another.  After  a  while  she  might  become  so 
far  resigned  to  her  hard  lot  as  to  try  to  amuse 
herself  by  singing  in  her  cage ;  but  which  of  us 
could  listen  with  pleasure  to  the  song  of  the  poor 
prisoner. 

Rene£.  I  would  not,  for  any  thing,  keep  a 
bird  in  a  cage  that  had  been  taken  from  the 
woods;  but  how  is  it  with  canaries,  Aunt  Mary? 
I  have  heard  they  were  born  in  cages,  and  could 
not  live  out  of  them. 

Aunt  M.  Canary  birds  are  natives  of  warm 
climates,  but  were  originally  taken  from  their 
own  woods,  and  brought  to  our  country.  The 
Americans  were  so  much  pleased  with  them, 
that  they  took  pains  to  rear  them  themselves, 
and  most  of  those  we  now  see  have  been  born 
in  cages,  and  could  not  live  if  set  at  liberty. 
Still  I  should  rather  not  own  a  canary  bird,  and 
should  be  very  unwilling  to  buy  one. 

Rene&.     Why  so  ? 

Aunt  M.  I  do  not  like  to  see  birds  in  cages; 
it  reminds  me  of  the  liberty  of  which  they  have 
been  deprived  ;  and,  besides,  if  /  have  a  right 


96  LIFE    IN    THE    INSECT    WORLD. 

to  keep  a  canary  bird,  of  course  every  one  else 
has  the  same  right ;  and  if  every  one  did  so,  the 
demand  for  them  would  be  so  much  increased, 
that  it  would  be  an  inducement  to  persons  trad- 
ing between  here  and  the  Canary  Islands,  and 
other  places  where  they  are  found,  to  bring  a 
fresh  supply  of  them  from  their  native  woods  ; 
and  if  I  were  to  happen  to  meet  with  such  a 
trader,  and  tell  him  that  I  thought  it  very  wrong 
for  him  to  bring  these  poor  creatures  from  their 
own  country,  to  make  them  prisoners  in  this,  he 
would  very  naturally  and  properly  say  to  me, 
"  Why  it  was  for  you  and  such  as  you  that  I 
brought  them.  If  I  had  not  seen  that  the  Ame- 
ricans were  so  fond  of  these  birds  that  almost 
every  one  of  them  had  one  in  a  cage,  I  should 
never  have  thought  of  doing  so."  Do  you  not 
see,  then,  that  I  should  be  giving  encouragement 
to  the  cruel  act  ? 

Mary.  But  what  are  people  to  do  who  have 
canaries,  Aunt  Mary  ?  I  suppose  they  are  not 
to  kill  them. 

JZunt  M.  Keep  them,  and  take  good  care  of 
them.  They  should  be  provided  with  a  very 
large  cage,  so  that  they  can  use  their  wings,  and 


LIFE    IN    THE    INSECT    WORLD.  97 

should  be  allowed  to  come  out  frequently  and 
fly  about  the  room. 

Harriet.  Are  not  squirrels  taken  from  our 
own  woods  ? 

Jlunt  M.  Yes  ;  and  it  is  quite  as  cruel  to 
make  prisoners  of  them  as  of  birds. 

But  we  have  almost  forgotten  the  crickets, 
and  the  evening  is  nearly  spent.  There  is  one 
more  species,  however,  of  which  I  must  tell  you 
before  we  leave  the  subject.  This  is  the  Mole 
Cricket,  which  burrows  in  the  earth,  and  makes 
extensive  galleries  under  ground,  like  the  Mole, 
from  which  it  derives  its  name.  For  this  pur- 
pose it  is  provided  with  large,  powerful  arms, 
and  strong,  sharp  claws,  while  its  breast  is  co- 
vered with  a  thick  horny  case  to  protect  it  from 
injury.  Thus  armed,  it  readily  makes  its  way 
through  gardens  and  hot-beds,  eating  off  the 
roots  of  vegetables  as  it  goes,  much  to  the  an- 
noyance of  the  farmers,  who  are  very  unwilling 
thus  to  be  deprived  of  the  produce  of  their  land. 
But  the  cricket  has  no  scruples  upon  this  point ; 
it  has  a  perfect  right  to  its  share  of  the  good 
things  with  which  the  earth  is  abundantly  filled, 
and  takes  them  freely. 

9* 


98  LIFE    IN    THE    INSECT    WORLD. 

When  the  cricket  is  ready  to  lay  its  eggs,  it 
makes  a  little  hollow  in  the  ground,  places  them 
in  it,  and  covers  them  lightly  with  earth,  suf- 
ficient to  conceal  them  from  observation,  but 
not  enough  to  prevent  them  from  receiving  the 
benefit  of  the  sun's  warmth,  as  it  has  been 
wisely  taught  that  heat  is  necessary  to  hatch 
them.  But  we  have  talked  quite  long  enough  ; 
so  farewell. 


LIFE    IN    THE    INSECT    WORLD.  99 


EVENING  NINTH. 


AMERICAN   LOCUSTS. 

JLunt  M.  Neither  of  you  can  remember  the 
last  appearance  of  the  locusts  in  this  part  of  the 
country,  as  it  is  now  ten  years  since  they  were 
so  abundant  amongst  us. 

Rene6.  Why,  Aunt  Mary,  we  have  seen  lo- 
custs. As  Mary  and  I  were  going  along  the  street 
one  day  last  summer,  we  met  a  little  boy  who 
had  one,  which  he  was  treating  very  cruelly. 
He  tied  a  long  string  to  one  of  its  hind  legs,  and 
holding  the  other  end  in  his  hand,  he  let  the  lo- 
cust fly  as  far  as  the  string  would  allow  it,  and 
then  jerked  it  back  again.  In  this  way  he  had 
broken  off  one  of  its  legs,  and  was  tying  the 


100  LIFE    IN    THE    INSECT    WORLD. 

string  to  the  other,  when  we  were  so  distressed 
about  the  poor  thing  that  Mary  cried,  and  we 
both  begged  him  to.  give  it  to  us  5  but  he  only 
laughed  at  us,  and  said  he  intended  to  have  a 
great  deal  of  sport  with  it  yet.  We  were  on 
our  way  to  a  candy  store,  and  I  had  some  money 
in  my  hand,  which  I  offered  him,  and  he  then 
gave  us  the  locust. 

Mary.  Yes,  and  it  was  so  pretty  that  I 
should  have  been  very  glad  to  keep  it,  but  I 
only  held  it  a  minute,  while  I  stroked  and  patted 
it,  and  then  opened  my  hand,  and  away  it  flew, 
glad  enough  to  get  off. 

Aunt  M.  You  have  good  cause  to  remem- 
ber the  locusts,  my  dear  children  ;  and,  I  have 
no  doubt,  the  satisfaction  of  setting  the  poor  in- 
sect at  liberty  was  far  sweeter  than  any  thing 
your  money  could  have  bought  you.  The  grati- 
fication of  eating  candy  would  soon  have  been 
over,  but  the  recollection  of  a  benevolent  action 
will  be  sweet  for  ever. 

The  kind  of  locusts  of  which  you  have  spoken 
may  be  seen  every  summer ;  but  they  appear 
only  in  small  numbers,  and  are  much  less  re- 
markable than  those  of  which  I  am  about  to 


LIFE    IN    THE    INSECT    WORLD.  101 

tell  you,  which  are  called,  for  distinction,  the 
Seventeen  Years'  Locust,  as  it  is  a  very  curious 
fact  that  these  insects  do  not  appear  in  the  same 
part  of  the  country  more  than  once  in  about 
seventeen  years;  when  they  come  up  out  of  the 
earth,  where  they  have  so  long  lain  buried, 
scatter  themselves  over  the  trees,  bushes,  and 
ground,  and  fill  the  air  with  their  music. 

When  the  locust  leaves  the  ground,  it  is  in  its 
chrysalis,  or  nympha  state,  as  you  may  remem- 
ber I  told  you  that  those  chrysalides  which  eat 
and  move  (as  is  the  case  with  the  locust)  are 
called  nymphs.  It  immediately  makes  its  way 
to  the  nearest  tree  or  bush,  fastens  itself  to  it, 
waits  a  few  minutes  until  its  skin  becomes  dry, 
when  it  bursts  it  open  in  the  back,  works  itself 
out  of  it,  gradually  expands  its  delicate  wings  to 
the  sun  and  air,  and  in  a  few  hours  flies  away, 
leaving  its  shell  behind  it. 

For  several  weeks  before  it  leaves  the  ground, 
it  ascends  to  the  top  of  its  hole  in  the  day-time, 
in  warm,  dry  weather,  apparently  for  the  pur- 
pose of  receiving  the  benefit  of  the  sun's  warmth, 
and  descends  to  the  bottom  in  cold  weather  and 
at  night.  The  sides  and  top  of  the  hole  are 


102  LIFE    IN    THE    INSECT    WORLD. 

nicely  cemented,  for  the  purpose  of  excluding 
water. 

The  Seventeen  Years'  Locust  ^is  about  an 
inch  and  a  half  in  length,  and  of  a  reddish- 
brown  color,  with  transparent,  gauze-like 
wings.  To  each  of  its  feet  are  attached  two 
claws,  and  it  may  frequently  be  seen  care- 
fully cleaning  these,  and  removing  from  them 
every  particle  of  dust  and  dirt,  that  they  may  be 
kept  fit  for  service. 

Like  the  cricket,  the  male  alone  is  musical ; 
and  the  sound,  which  is  a  loud  humming  noise, 
is  produced  by  rubbing  upon  an  instrument 
situated  under  the  wings.  During  the  last  lo- 
cust year,  I  spent  several  weeks  in  the  country, 
and  was  interested  in  making  some  observations 
upon  the  locust,  and  found,  that  by  pressing  my 
fingers  upon  the  upper  part  of  the  wings,  I  could 
produce  the  sound  made  by  the  insect.  In  an 
apple  orchard,  which  we  visited,  there  were 
thousands  of  them  upon  the  trees,  fences,  and 
ground,  keeping  up  a  loud  and  continual 
concert. 

Rene6.  I  hope  I  may  be  in  the  country  next 
locust  season.  I  suppose  we  should  not  see  any 
thing  of  them  in  town  ? 


LIFE    IN    THE    INSECT    WORLD.  103 

Jlunt  M.  They  have  sometimes  been  very 
abundant  in  our  public  squares,  and  have  even 
been  seen  coming  up  between  the  bricks  of  the 
pavement. 

About  a  week  after  leaving  the  ground,  the 
female  locust  selects  a  small  branch  of  a  tree  or 
shrub,  in  which,  with  a  sharp,  hard  instrument, 
resembling  a  knife,  attached  to  the  extremity  of 
her  body,  she  cuts  a  deep  groove,  deposits  her 
eggs  in  it,  and  carefully  seals  the  opening  with 
a  sticky  cement,  with  which,  as  I  have  told  you, 
insects  are  provided.  Soon  after  this  she  dies. 
Indeed  the  locust  season  lasts  but  a  few  weeks; 
and  it  must  seem  curious,  after  having  seen 
them  thickly  strewn  over  almost  every  tree  and 
bush,  and  listened  to  the  incessant  sound  of  their 
music,  to  find  they  have  entirely  disappeared, 
leaving  no  traces  of  their  wonderful  visit  except 
the  holes  which  they  have  made  in  the  ground, 
the  skins  still  fastened  to  the  trees,  and  the 
withered  twigs  in  which  they  have  deposited 
their  eggs.  This  is  the  only  injury  they  commit, 
and  this  is  of  no  great  importance,  for  the 
branches  do  not  always  die,  unless  several  deep 
cuts  have  been  made  in  them,  so  as  to  obstruct 
the  circulation  of  the  sap. 


104  LIFE    IN    THE    INSECT    WORLD. 

In  about  six  or  seven  weeks  after  the  eggs 
are  deposited,  they  hatch,  and  the  little  insects 
creep  out  and  enter  the  ground.  There  they  often 
attach  themselves  to  the  tender  roots  of  grasses 
and  other  vegetables,  and,  it  is  supposed,  live 
upon  the  moisture  from  their  surfaces.  Thus 
they  live  and  grow  for  seventeen  years,  and  when 
this  long  under-ground  life  is  over,  they  come 
up  out  of  the  earth,  as  their  parents  did  before 
them,  burst  the  shell  which  covers  them,  enjoy 
for  a  few  weeks  the  air  and  sunshine  in  their 
new  state  of  existence,  lay  their  eggs,  and  die. 

Locusts  are  eagerly  sought  after  by  various 
kinds  of  animals.  Rats  and  hogs  hunt  them  out, 
and  eat  them  before  they  leave  the  ground ;  and 
as  soon  as  they  make  their  appearance,  they  are 
devoured  by  squirrels  and  birds.  A  friend  of 
mine  tells  a  curious  story  of  a  duck,  which  had 
swallowed  so  many  living  locusts,  that  they 
made  a  loud  noise  and  violent  struggling  in  its 
throat.  But  having  once  secured  its  prisoners, 
it  had  no  disposition  to  release  them,  and  kept 
them  down  despite  their  efforts  to  escape. 

It  is  said  the  Indians  think  them  an  excellent 
dish  when  fried. 


LIFE    IN    THE    INSECT    WORLD.  105 

During  the  last  locust  season,  some  of  the 
economical  housekeepers  of  New  Jersey  made 
pretty  good  soap  of  them. 

And  now,  if  one  of  you  will  hand  me  that 
box  that  stands  on  the  table,  I  will  shew  you 
something  curious. 

Mary.  Here  it  is.  Oh,  what  a  pretty  little 
bottle  full  of  water !  and  what  are  these  little 
things  in  it  ? 

Aunt  M.  The  bottle  is  filled  with  alcohol, 
and  those  little  things  are  locusts. 

Renee.  Locusts !  Why  I  had  no  idea  lo- 
custs were  so  small;  they  are  not  more  than 
quarter  the  size  of  a  pin's  head. 

Aunt  M.  These  are  the  locusts  just  as  they 
issued  from  the  egg.  They  were  collected  by  a 
gentleman  during  the  last  locust  season,  and 
were  sent  me  by  a  friend  a  few  days  ago. 

Harriet.  How  did  the  gentleman  manage  to 
get  them,  Aunt  Mary  ? 

Aunt  M.  He  placed  a  bottle  on  a  branch 
immediately  under  the  eggs,  and,  when  they 
hatched,  the  little  locusts  fell  into  the  bottle.  My 
friend  says  that  they  were  very  active  when 
alive,  scrambling  over  each  other  so  rapidly 
10 


106  LIFE    IN    THE    INSECT    WORLD. 

that  he  was  obliged  to  look  very  closely  to  see 
the  perfect  shape  of  the  body,  which  was  plump 
and  purely  white.  You  see  they  are  a  little  co- 
lored now,  from  having  been  kept  so  long.  Now 
I  want  you  to  look  at  one  of  them  through  the 
microscope. 

Mary.  Oh,  yes  ;  I  have  never  seen  a  micro- 
scope. 

Anna.     Neither  have  I. 

Aunt  M.  Very  well,  you  shall  all  see  it. 
Here  it  is.  But  we  will  first  take  one  of  the 
little  fellows  out,  and  put  him  on  this  piece  of 
black  silk.  Now  shut  one  eye,  and  look  through 
the  glass  with  the  other;  that  is  right.  How  does 
it  look  now  ? 

Mary.     Why  it  looks  very  large. 

Aunt  M.     How  large. 

Mary.  Oh,  I  don't  know,  but  very  large  ; 
a  great  deal  larger  than  it  did  before. 

Aunt  M.  Suppose  we  give  the  microscope 
to  Renee  now,  and  let  her  tell  us  how  the  locust 
looks. 

Renee.     It  looks  nearly  half  as  large  as  a  pea, 
and  I  can  see  its  little  head  and  legs. 
Aunt  M.     How  many  legs  has  it? 
Renee.     One,  two,  three,  four,  five,  six.      I 


LIFE    IN    THE    INSECT    WORLD.  107 

remember,  Aunt  Mary,  you  told  us  insects  al- 
ways have  six  legs. 

Aunt  M.  So  I  did ;  and  I  am  pleased  to  find 
you  remember  it.  I  told  you,  too,  that  most  in- 
sects begin  their  existence  in  the  state  of  a  worm, 
but  you  see  the  locust  is  different  in  this  respect, 
being  of  the  same  form  when  it  is  hatched  from 
the  egg,  that  it  is  when  it  comes  out  of  the 
ground,  seventeen  years  after, — in  its  nympha 
state, — though  the  perfect  insect  is  then  formed 
under  the  skin  which  covers  it,  which  it  bursts 
open  and  casts  off,  as  I  have  described  to  you. 

Now  you  may  all  look  at  the  little  locust,  and 
we  will  then  put  away  the  microscope,  for  it  is 
getting  late. 

Mary.  I  wish  I  could  see  a  horse  through  a 
microscope  ;  it  would  look  as  big  as  a  house. 

Rene&.  What  a  queer  idea  !  Do  you  sup- 
pose you  could  see  a  horse  through  such  a  little 
glass  as  that  ? 

Jiunt  M.  We  can  see  horses  well  enough 
without  looking  at  them  through  microscopes  ; 
but  we  will  put  it  away  now. 

I  have  much  to  tell  you,  that  is  interesting,  of 
the  African  Locust,  but  we  will  leave  it  until 
another  evening. 


108  LIFE    IN    THE    INSECT    WORLD. 


EVENING  TENTH. 


AFRICAN    LOCUST. 

Jiunt  M.  Do  you  remember  the  account 
given  in  the  Bible  of  the  plagues  which  were 
sent  upon  Pharaoh,  King  of  Egypt,  because  he 
persisted  in  detaining  the  children  of  Israel  in 
bondage  ? 

Harriet.     Oh,  yes,  I  remember  it  very  well. 

Renee.  And  so  do  I,  for  I  was  reading  it  but 
a  few  days  ago. 

Aunt  M.  You  may  remember,  then,  that 
one  of  these  plagues  was  an  immense  swarm  of 
locusts,  which,  in  the  language  of  Scripture, 
"  covered  the  face  of  the  whole  earth,  so  that 
the  land  was  darkened,  and  did  eat  every  herb 
of  the  land,  and  all  the  fruit  of  the  trees ;  and 


10* 


LIFE    IN    THE    INSECT    WORLD.  Ill 

there  remained  not  any  green  thing  in  the  trees, 
or  in  the  herbs  of  the  field,  through  all  the  land 
of  Egypt."  It  is  of  such  locusts  as  these  that 
I  am  now  about  to  tell  you. 

They  are  so  different,  both  in  habits  and  ap- 
pearance, from  those  of  which  I  have  already 
spoken,  that  it  seems  hardly  proper  to  call  them 
by  the  same  name.  They  are  very  much  like 
our  common  grasshopper  in  shape,  although 
much  larger,  being  about  three  inches  in  length. 
They  are  of  a  reddish  color,  beautifully  varie- 
gated with  yellow  and  black,  and  their  wings 
are  of  different  shades  of  green.  Their  long  hind 
legs  enable  them  to  leap  to  a  considerable  dis- 
tance, and  their  large  gauze-like  wings  carry 
them  rapidly  through  the  air.  They  are  the 
most  destructive  insects  of  which  we  have  any 
knowledge.  They  are  common  in  Africa  and 
the  southern  part  of  Asia,  and  have  sometimes 
been  seen  in  Europe,  passing  over  the  country 
in  vast  swarms,  tearing  off  the  twigs  and  leaves 
of  trees,  devouring  young  plants,  and,  in  short, 
destroying  almost  every  green  thing  that  comes 
in  their  way  ;  but  of  this  I  will  give  you  a  par- 
ticular account  presently.  It  is  better  to  begin 


112  LIFE    IN    THE    INSECT    WORLD. 

at  the  beginning;  and  we  will  first  see  how 
these  insects  are  hatched.  The  eggs  are  laid 
in  a  hole  or  cell  made  in  the  ground,  the  inside 
of  which  is  carefully  lined  with  cement,  and  the 
top  sealed  over  with  the  same  substance,  and 
then  covered  with  earth.  Each  of  these  cells 
contains  about  a  million  eggs,  all  of  which  hatch 
nearly  at  the  same  time,  and  the  little  insects, 
each  covered  with  a  shell  or  case,  such  as  I  have 
described  to  you  in  the  account  of  the  American 
Locust,  creep  out  and  commence  their  march  in 
search  of  food,  all  travelling  in  the  same  direc- 
tion. And  now  the  work  of  destruction  com- 
mences; for  the  hungry  little  beings  devour 
every  thing  as  they  go,  making  the  country  de- 
solate before  them. 

They  eat  and  grow  so  rapidly,  that  in  about 
a  week  they  are  ready  for  their  change ; 
when  they  climb  up  the  stalk  of  a  plant,  burst 
the  skins  which  cover  them,  and  come  forth  the 
beautiful,  winged  insects  I  have  described  to 
you. 

For  several  days  they  leap  about  the  ground, 
and  try  their  wings  with  short  flights ;  but  as 
soon  as  they  feel  themselves  sufficiently  strong, 


LIFE    IN    THE    INSECT    WORLD.  113 

they  fly  off  in  swarms,  headed,  it  is  said,  by  a 
king  or  leader,  whose  flight  they  watch,  and 
whose  motions  they  observe.  When  he  alights, 
the  whole  swarm  follows  his  example,  and  when 
he  rises,  they  rise  also.  It  must  be  almost  im- 
possible, without  seeing  them,  to  form  an  idea 
of  the  appearance  of  these  great  nights  of  locusts, 
making  a  noise  with  their  wings,  as  described 
in  Scripture,  "  like  the  rushing  of  horses  unto 
battle/'  Whole  fields  of  grain  are  destroyed 
by  them  in  a  few  hours ;  the  air  is  darkened 
with  their  numbers,  and  the  trees  bend  under 
their  weight. 

They  always  travel  with  the  wind,  which 
frequently  blows  them  toward  the  cea,  and  as 
they  are  unable  to  remain  long  on  the  wing, 
they  are  often  obliged  to  alight  upon  the  water, 
and  thus  great  numbers  of  them  are  destroyed, 
and  either  become  the  prey  of  fishes,  or  are 
washed  back  by  the  waves  upon  the  shore.  I 
have  read  an  account  of  a  swarm  of  locusts 
which  passed  over  Italy,  about  one  hundred 
years  since,  which  so  obscured  the  sun  at  noon- 
day, that  people  could  not  see  each  other's  faces 
a  short  distance  apart.  They  were  about  four 
hours  in  passing. 


114  LIFE    IN    THE    INSECT    WORLD. 

In  Southern  Africa,  in  the  year  1797,  the 
ground,  for  the  space  of  nearly  two  thousand 
square  miles,  was  covered  by  these  insects, 
which  destroyed  every  leaf  and  blade  of  grass 
in  the  neighborhood.  A  strong  wind  at  length 
drove  them  into  the  sea,  and  when  washed  upon 
the  shore,  they  formed  a  heap  of  from  three  to 
four  feet  in  height,  for  fifty  miles  in  extent; 
and  when  this  enormous  mass  decayed,  it  taint- 
ed the  air  to  the  distance  of  one  hundred  and 
fifty  miles. 

It  is  said,  that  the  governor  of  one  of  the 
provinces  of  Africa,  once  sent  out  four  thousand 
of  his  soldiers  to  destroy  the  locusts. 

Rene£.  That  seems  odd  enough;  but  still, 
I  think  it  was  better  employment  than  killing 
their  fellow  beings. 

jJunt  M.     Far  better,  and  far  less  degrading. 

Many  interesting  accounts  of  locusts  are  given 

by  persons  who  have  travelled  in  the  countries 

where  they  are  found ;  a  few  of  which  I  will 

mention. 

Dr.  Clark  says  that  a  swarm  of  locusts  alight- 
ing in  the  road  over  which  he  was  travelling, 
completely  covered  his  horses  and  carriage,  and 


LIFE    IN    THE    INSECT    WORLD  115 

he  could  compare  them  to  nothing  but  heavy- 
flakes  of  snow,  so  thickly  did  they  fall  around 
him. 

Captain  Riley,  the  commander  of  an  Ameri- 
can vessel,  who  was  cast  away  upon  the  coast 
of  Africa,  and  taken  prisoner  by  the  Arabs, 
says,  that  as  he  was  travelling  with  some  of  the 
natives,  through  one  of  the  most  fertile  pro- 
vinces, he  saw  what  he  supposed  to  be  a  great 
cloud  of  smoke,  rising  with  the  wind,  and  ra- 
pidly approaching  them.  He  remarked  to  one 
of  his  companions  that  "  there  must  be  a  mon- 
strous fire  in  that  quarter."  "  No,"  he  replied, 
"  they  are  only  locusts."  As  they  approached 
nearer,  every  man  who  was  at  work  in  the 
fields  left  his  employment,  and  stood  gazing  at 
them  with  consternation  and  dismay,  fearing 
that  his  field  might  become  the  prey  of  these 
devouring  insects,  and  all  the  fruits  of  his  labor 
be  destroyed  in  a  few  hours.  They  passed  on, 
however,  and  descended  at  a  short  distance 
from  them.  As  the  party  moved  on  in  the  same 
direction,  they  found  the  ground  thickly  covered 
with  them;  and  as  they  rose  to  avoid  being 
crushed  to  death  by  the  mules,  they  were  con- 


116  LIFE    IN    THE    INSECT    WORLD. 

stantly  coming  in  contact  with  their  faces  and 
bodies.  Captain  Riley  covered  his  face  with 
his  handkerchief,  to  protect  his  eyes  from  injury, 
and  pushed  on  his  mule  as  fast  as  possible.  They 
covered  the  earth  for  about  eight  miles  in  length 
and  three  in  breadth,  and  the  party  were  two 
hours  in  passing  them. 

I  have  so  far  spoken  only  of  the  mischief 
which  these  little  animals  do.  Let  us  now  see 
if  we  cannot  find  that  they  are  also  of  some  use 
to  the  inhabitants  of  the  countries  where  they 
abound.  It  appears  that,  from  the  days  of 
Moses  to  the  present  time,  they  have  constituted 
an  important  article  of  food  to  many  of  the 
Eastern  arid  African  nations.  Moses,  in  his 
instructions  to  the  children  of  Israel,  has  par- 
ticularly mentioned  the  kinds  they  were  at  liber- 
ty to  eat:  "  Even  these  of  them  ye  may  eat,  the 
locust  after  his  kind,  and  the  bald  locust  after 
his  kind,  and  the  beetle  after  his  kind,  and  the 
grasshopper  after  his  kind."  We  read  in  the 
New  Testament  that  John  the  Baptist  lived  upon 
locusts  and  wild  honey,  while  in  the  wilderness 
ofJudea.  It  is  most  probable  it  was  this  kind 
of  locust. 


LIFE    IN    THE    INSECT    WORLD.  117 

Archibald  Robins,  one  of  Captain  Riley*? 
crew,  who  was  also  made  prisoner  by  the 
Arabs,  gives  an  interesting  account  of  the  man- 
ner of  catching  and  cooking  the  locusts,  in  the 
Great  Desert  of  Zahara,  where  he  lived  with 
his  Arab  master.  I  have  had  the  Journal 
brought,  thinking  it  would  be  interesting  to  you 
to  hear  it  in  his  own  words.  If  Renee  will 
turn  to  page  170,  we  shall  be  glad  to  hear  her 
read  it  to  us. 

Renet.  Here  it  is.  He  says:  "  In  and  about 
this  valley,  were  great  flights  of  locusts.  During 
the  day  they  are  flying  around  very  thickly  in 
the  atmosphere,  but  the  copious  dews  and  chilly 
air,  in  the  night,  render  them  unable  to  fly,  and 
they  settle  down  on  the  bushes.  It  was  the 
constant  employment  of  the  natives  in  the  night 
to  gather  these  insects  from  the  bushes,  which 
they  did  in  great  quantities.  My  master's  fami- 
ly, each  with  a  small  bag,  went  out  the  first 
night  upon  this  employment,  carrying  a  very 
large  bag  to  bring  home  the  fruits  of  their  labor. 
My  mistress  Fatima,  however,  and  the  two 
little  children,  remained  in  the  tent.  I  declined 
this  employment,  and  retired  to  rest  under  the 

11 


118  LIFE    IN    THE    INSECT    WORLD. 

large  tent.  The  next  day  the  family  returned 
loaded  with  locusts,  and,  judging  by  the  eye  of 
the  quantity  produced,  there  must  have  been 
about  fifteen  bushels.  This  may  appear  to  be 
a  large  quantity  to  be  gathered  in  so  short  a 
time  ;  but  it  is  scarcely  worth  mentioning  when 
compared  with  the  loads  of  them  gathered, 
sometimes,  in  the  more  fertile,  part  of  the  coun- 
try over  which  they  pass,  leaving  a  track  of 
desolation  behind  them.  But  as  they  were  the 
first,  in  any  considerable  quantity,  that  I  had 
seen,  and  the  first  I  had  seen  cooked  and  eaten, 
I  mention  it  in  this  place  ;  hoping  hereafter  to 
give  my  readers  more  particular  information 
concerning  these  wonderful  and  destructive  in- 
sects, which,  from  the  days  of  Moses  to  this 
time,  have  been  considered,  by  Jews  and  Ma- 
hometans, as  the  most  severe  judgment  which 
Heaven  can  inflict  upon  man.  But  whatever 
the  Egyptians  might  have  thought  in  ancient 
days,  or  the  Moors  and  Arabs  in  those  of  mo- 
dern date,  the  Arabs  who  are  compelled  to  in- 
habit the  desert  of  Zahara,so  far  from  consider- 
ing a  flight  of  locusts  as  a  judgment  upon  them 
for  their  transgressions,  welcome  their  approach 
as  the  means,  sometimes,  of  saving  them  from 


LIFE    IN    THE    INSECT    WORLD.  119 

famishing  with  hunger.  The  whole  that  were 
brought  to  the  tent  at  this  time  were  cooked 
while  alive,  as  indeed  they  always  are,  for  a 
dead  locust  is  never  cooked.  The  manner  of 
cooking  is  by  digging  a  deep  hole  in  the  ground, 
building  a  fire  at  the  bottom,  as  before  described, 
and  filling  it  up  with  wood.  After  it  is  heated 
as  hot  as  is  possible,  the  coals  and  embers  are 
taken  out,  and  they  prepare  to  fill  the  cavity 
with  the  locusts  confined  in  a  large  bag.  A 
sufficient  number  of  the  natives  hold  the  bag 
perpendicularly  over  the  hole,  the  mouth  of  it 
being  near  the  surface  of  the  ground.  A  num- 
ber stand  around  the  hole  with  sticks.  The 
mouth  of  the  bag  is  then  opened,  and  it  is  sha- 
ken with  great  force,  the  locusts  falling  into  the 
hot  pit,  and  the  surrounding  natives  throwing 
sand  upon  them  to  prevent  them  from  flying  off. 
The  mouth  of  the  hole  is  then  covered  with 
sand,  and  another  fire  built  upon  the  top  of  it. 
In  this  manner  they  cook  all  they  have  on  hand, 
and  dig  a  number  of  holes  sufficient  to  accom- 
plish it,  each  containing  about  five  bushels. 
They  remain  in  the  hole  until  they  beccme  suf- 
ficiently cooled  to  be  taken  out  with  the  hand. 


120  LIFE    IN    THE    INSECT    WOKLD. 

They  are  then  picked  out,  and  thrown  upon 
tent-cloths,  or  blankets,  and  remain  in  the  sun 
to  dry,  where  they  must  be  watched  with  the 
utmost  care,  to  prevent  the  live  locusts  from  de- 
vouring them,  if  a  flight  happens  to  be  passing 
at  the  time.  When  they  are  perfectly  dried, 
which  is  not  done  short  of  two  or  three  days, 
they  are  slightly  pounded,  and  pressed  into 
bags  or  skins,  ready  for  transportation.  To 
prepare  them  to  eat,  they  are  pulverized  in 
mortars  and  mixed  with  water,  sufficient  to 
make  a  kind  of  dry  pudding.  They  are,  how- 
ever, sometimes  eaten  singly,  without  pulveriz- 
ing, by  breaking  off  the  head,  wings,  and 
legs,  and  swallowing  the  remaining  part.  In 
whatever  manner  they  are  eaten,  they  are  nour- 
ishing food." 

Jlunt  M.  It  is  not  only  by  the  inhabitants 
of  the  Great  Desert  that  the  locusts  are  hailed 
with  joy.  The  Hottentots  also  give  them  a 
hearty  welcome,  and  make  many  a  hearty  meal 
upon  them,  too, — not  only  eating  them  in  large 
quantities,  but  making  a  sort  of  coffee-colored 
soup  of  their  eggs. 

Locusts  are  cooked  in  various  ways ;  roasted, 


LIFE    IN   THE    INSECT    WORLD.  121 

boiled,  and  fried.  Sometimes  they  are  ground 
up  in  hand  mills,  or  pounded  between  two 
stones,  and  then  mixed  with  flour,  and  made 
into  cakes  and  baked.  They  are  also  salted  and 
smoked,  and  packed  away  against  a  time  of 
scarcity.  It  is  said  they  taste  very  much  like 
fish,  and  are  particularly  light,  delicate,  and 
wholesome  food.  They  are  carried  into  many 
of  the  towns  of  Africa  by  wagon  loads,  as  we 
bring  poultry  to  market. 

Harriet.  The  Africans  seem  to  be  particu- 
larly fond  of  eating  insects ;  I  confess  I  do  not 
admire  their  taste. 

Aunt  M.  It  is  well  for  them  that  they  are 
willing  to  eat  such  things  as  Providence  has 
placed  within  their  reach  ;  but  I  do  not  know 
that  it  is  any  worse  to  eat  locusts  than  oysters, 
— we  eat  them  whole,  and  often  raw. 

Anna.  Oh,  Aunt  Mary,  I  think  it  is  a  great 
deal  worse. 

Aunt  M.     Why  so  ? 

Anna.  Why  I  don't  know  exactly,  only  we 
know  oysters  are  very  good,  and 

Aunt  M.    And  we  do  not  know  how  good 
locusts  are ;  we  have  been  accustomed  to  eat- 
11* 


122  LIFE    IN    THE    INSECT    WORLD. 

ing  oysters,  and  we  have  never  eaten  locusts — 
that  is  about  all. 

We  have  now  had  a  long  talk,  and  I  think 
when  you  read  again  in  the  Bible  about  locusts, 
you  will  feel  as  if  you  knew  more  of  their  his- 
tory than  you  ever  did  before. 

The  Children.     Indeed  we  shall. 


LIFE    IN    THE    INSECT    WORLD.  125 


EVENING  ELEVENTH. 


FLEAS. 

*Aunt  M.  Have  you  your  lessons  ready  for 
to-morrow  ? 

Harriet.  Oh,  yes ;  we  learned  them  all  be- 
fore supper. 

<Aunt  M.  Then  if  you  will  come  into  my 
room,  we  can  have  a  little  talk  about  insects. 
What  do  you  say  to  that  ? 

Harriet.  That  will  be  delightful ;  it  has 
been  so  many  weeks  since  we  have  heard  any 
thing  about  them,  I  began  to  be  afraid  we  were 
not  to  hear  any  more. 

Aunt  M.  I  did  not  think,  when  I  gave  you 
the  account  of  the  locusts,  that  it  would  be  so 
long  before  I  should  be  able  to  spend  another 


126  LIFE    IN    THE    INSECT    WORLD. 

evening  with  you.  In  the  meantime  the  wea- 
ther has  become  warm,  and  the  evenings  short, 
but  we  may  still  have  an  hour ;  so  come  into 
my  room,  for  I  have  a  curiosity  to  show  you. 

Mary.  Well,  Aunt  Mary,  what  is  the  cu- 
riosity ? 

Jlunt  M.     What  do  you  think  ? 

Rene&.     Indeed,  we  can't  guess — do  tell  us. 

Jlunt  M.  It  is  a  flea  which  worried  me 
considerably  last  night,  and  which  I  succeeded 
in  catching  this  morning,  and  have  put  into  a 
little  box  with  a  glass  top. 

Mary.  Only  a  flea!  I  thought  it  was  a 
curiosity. 

Jlunt  M.  It  is  a  great  curiosity,  as  I  will 
show  you  presently.  I  want  you  to  look  at  it 
through  the  microscope. 

Mary.  Oh,  the  microscope  ! — the  micro- 
scope !  I  forgot  all  about  the  microscope. 

Jlunt  M.  Here,  then,  is  the  flea,  and  here 
is  the  microscope.  Now  let  us  have  the  lights 
properly  arranged,  and  get  the  glass  in  the 
right  position.  Do  you  see  him  now,  Anna  ? 

Jlnna.  Oh,  yes  ;  who  would  have  believed 
the  flea  was  that  shape  ? 


LIFE    IN    THE    INSECT    WORLD.  127 

Jlunt  M.     How  does  it  look  ? 

Jlnna.  It  has  a  little  round  head,  and  large 
eyes,  and  its  body  is  long  and  roundish ;  there 
are  its  feelers,  too,  looking  just  like  little  fea- 
thers: but  what  is  that  little  thing  growing  out 
between  them,  right  in  the  middle  of  its  fore- 
head? 

Jiunt  M.  That  is  the  proboscis,  the  instru- 
ment through  which  it  sucks  the  blood.  It 
stands  straight  up  and  thrusts  this  little  sucker 
into  the  flesh,  and  when  it  has  completely  filled 
itself,  instead  of  going  away  satisfied,  it  begins 
to  throw  off  the  blood,  and  suck  again ;  and  if 
it  does  not  happen  to  be  killed  or  driven  away, 
it  will  continue  for  hours  sucking  and  throwing 
it  off. 

Harriet.  Now  let  me  see;  what  curious, 
hairy-looking  legs  it  has  ! 

Jlunt  M.  Those  legs  are  powerfully  strong, 
and  have  several  joints ;  and  when  the  flea  is 
prepared  to  leap  it  folds  them  up  closely,  and 
then  lets  them  all  spring  out  at  once,  which 
throws  its  body  to  a  very  great  distance.  It  has 
been  calculated  that  if  a  man  possessed  the 
strength  and  agility  of  a  flea,  in  proportion  to 


128  LIFE    IN    THE    INSECT    WORLD. 

his  size,  he  could  leap  from  Philadelphia  to 
New  Orleans  at  a  single  jump. 

Some  time  since,  a  man  was  travelling  about 
the  country,  amusing  the  people  by  exhibiting 
fleas  harnessed  to  a  carriage,  at  least  fifty  times 
their  own  weight,  which  they  pulled  along  with 
great  ease  ;  another  pair  drew  a  chariot,  and  a 
single  flea  a  brass  cannon.  I  have  heard 
of  a  watch-maker  in  London,  who  made  a  little 
iron  carriage,  with  four  ivory  horses,  the  figures 
of  four  persons  inside,  and  two  horses  behind 
it,  all  of  which  were  easily  drawn  by  a  single 
flea. 

A  gentleman  travelling  in  Italy  saw  a  num- 
ber of  fleas  for  sale,  with  little  steel  and  silver 
collars  around  their  necks  ;  he  purchased  one  of 
them,  which  he  permitted  at  particular  times  to 
suck  the  palm  of  his  hand,  and  it  enjoyed  this 
privilege  for  several  months,  when  the  cold 
killed  it. 

It  is  not  very  common,  however,  for  people 
to  be  fond  of  fleas,  or  take  much  pairis  to  culti- 
vate their  acquaintance  ;  though  I  have  read  of 
an  old  lady  who  expressed  her  surprise  at  the 
complaint  of  one  of  her  young  friends,  who  was 


LIFE    IN    THE    INSECT    WORLD.  129 

confined  to  the  bed  with  a  broken  limb,  and 
was  sadly  annoyed  by  fleas.  "  Dear  miss," 
said  she,  "  don't  you  like  fleas  ?  Well  I  think 
they  are  the  prettiest,  merriest  little  things  in 
the  world  ;  I  never  saw  a  dull  flea  in  all  my 
life.'7 

In  the  West  Indies,  and  some  other  warm 
countries,  there  is  a  small  sand  flea,  which 
makes  its  way  under  the  skin,  particularly 
under  the  toe  nails ;  and  as  it  enters  without 
being  felt,  and  causes  no  other  sensation  than 
an  unpleasant  itching,  it  is  sometimes  neglected, 
and  suffered  to  remain  until  it  becomes  as  large 
as  a  pea.  It  lays  its  eggs  under  the  skin,  and 
if  they  are  not  taken  out,  they  hatch,  and  pro- 
duce running  ulcers. 

The  natives  are  very  dexterous  in  extracting 
these  fleas,  or  chigoes,  as  they  call  them;  break- 
ing the  skin  and  carefully  taking  them  out  with 
a  needle.  The  removal  of  the  eggs  is  a  delicate 
operation,  as  they  are  contained  in  a  bag  or 
bladder,  which,  if  not  skilfully  extracted,  is  apt 
to  break,  and  leave  some  of  the  eggs  behind  to 
produce  more  chigoes. 


130  LIFE    IN    THE    INSECT    WORLD. 

I  have  heard  of  a  man  who,  being  anxious 
to  study  the  history  of  these  insects,  permitted 
a  large  number  of  them  to  establish  themselves 
in  one  of  his  feet ;  but  it  was  not  long  be- 
fore his  foot  mortified,  and  had  to  be  taken 
off. 

We  have  none  of  these  things  to  dread  in  our 
country ;  our  fleas  occasioning  us  no  further 
inconvenience  than  a  little  itching  when  they 
come  to  make  a  meal  upon  us. 

Among  the  Indians,  however,  they  are  very 
troublesome.  My  brother  says  that  when  they 
remove  from  their  tents,  or  wigwams,  as  they 
call  them,  the  ground  for  many  yards  around  is 
often  completely  covered  by  these  insects.  He 
once  rode  out,  with  several  of  his  friends,  to  see 
a  wigwam  which  had  been  deserted  by  its  in- 
habitants. His  companions  remained  behind, 
but  he,  forgetting  the  fleas,  jumped  from  his 
horse  and  entered  the  wigwam ;  it  was  sum- 
mer, and  he  was  dressed  in  white,  but  he  had 
not  been  there  many  minutes  before  he  was  so 
completely  covered  with  fleas,  that  it  would 
have  been  difficult  to  tell  the  original  color  of 
his  clothes.  He  immediately  ran  to  a  consider- 


LIFE    IN    THE    INSECT    WORLD.  131 

able  distance  from  the  wigwam,  and  brushed 
them  off  with  his  hands ;  then  to  another  place, 
and  brushed  off  more ;  and  so  continued  until 
he  succeeded  in  clearing  himself  of  them,  as  he 
supposed,  effectually ;  though  after  his  return 
to  the  place  where  he  stayed,  he  found  thirty  of 
them  in  his  stockings. 

I  recollect  a  curious  old  English  verse,  re- 
commending wormwood  as  a  preventive  against 
the  attacks  of  fleas: 

«  While  wormwood  hath  seed,  get  a  handful  or  twaine, 
To  save  against  March  to  make  flea  refraine  : 
Where  chamber  is  swept  and  wormwood  is  strown, 
No  flea  for  his  life  dare  abide  to  be  known." 

Harriet.    Are  fleas  of  any  use  in  the  world  ? 

Anna.  I  suppose  God  would  not  have  made 
them  if  they  were  not. 

Aunt  M.  That  is  an  excellent  answer ;  one 
with  which  we  may  rest  quite  satisfied.  I  sup- 
pose fleas  enjoy  their  existence — that  is  some- 
thing. Whether  they  are  of  any  use  to  man,  I 
do  not  know ;  it  is  quite  probable  they  may  af- 
ford food  to  other  animals.  In  the  formation  of 
many  of  the  creatures  which  God  has  made,  we 
can  trace  the  benevolent  design  ;  in  all  we  may 


132  LIFE    IN    THE    INSECT    WORLD. 

see  the  skilful  hand  of  the  divine  Artist,  and  the 
tender  care  of  the  loving  Father. 

To-morrow  evening  I  will  tell  you  something 
about  the  Musqueto,  as  it  is  another  of  those 
troublesome  insects  about  which  very  little  in- 
terest is  felt. 


ia* 


LIFE    IN    THE    INSECT    WORLD.  135 


EVENING  TWELFTH. 


MUSQUETO. 

Aunt  M.  The  musqueto,  although  born  in 
the  water,  passes  through  all  those  wonderful 
changes  which  are  common  to  insects ;  and  al- 
though its  life,  after  it  has  acquired  wings,  lasts 
but  a  few  weeks,  the  same  care  is  taken  to  pre- 
serve its  existence,  and  the  same  skill  displayed 
in  its  formation,  as  we  see  in  that  of  larger  and 
longer  lived  animals. 

The  mother  lays  her  eggs  on  the  surface  of 
the  water  in  stagnant  pools,  ditches  and  marshes, 
not  dropping  them  in  one  by  one,  in  which  case 
(being  heavy  enough  to  sink,)  they  must  fall 
to  the  bottom  and  be  lost ;  but  fastening  them 
firmly  together  with  gluten,  she  forms  them  into 
a  complete  boat,  beginning  at  the  stern  and  go- 
ing on  regularly  until  her  work  is  finished.  She 


136  LIFE    IN    THE    INSECT    WORLD. 

understands  boat  building  better  than  we  do  in 
some  respects,  as  her  little  boat  will  not  fill  with 
water,  and  cannot  be  made  to  sink. 

A  naturalist,  determined  to  prove  this,  placed 
half  a  'dozen  of  them  in  a  tumbler  half  filled 
with  water,  and  then  holding  a  quart  bottle  a 
foot  above  them,  poured  a  heavy  stream  upon 
them.  But  although  this  treatment  was  so 
rough  as  actually  to  throw  one  of  them  out  of 
the  glass,  the  remaining  five  continued  to  float, 
without  a  drop  of  water  in  them.  They  were 
afterward  pushed  to  the  bottom  of  the  glass, 
but  immediately  came  up,  apparently  as  dry  as 
before. 

Each  of  these  boats  contains  from  two  hun- 
dred and  fifty  to  three  hundred  and  fifty  eggs, 
which  are  soon  hatched,  the  grubs  issuing  from 
the  lower  part. 

Soon  after  they  are  hatched,  they  may  be 
seen  floating  on  the  surface  of  the  water,  swim- 
ming about,  generally  with  their  heads  down 
and  their  tails  up ,  having  in  the  latter  a  sort  of 
funnel-shaped  tube  for  breathing.  In  this  state 
they  live  upon  those  very  minute  animals  which 
are  always  found  in  water,  and  which  are  so 
small  that  they  cannot  be  seen  with  the  naked  eye, 


LIFE    IN    THE    INSECT    WORLD.  137 

although  they  afford  food  to  a  great  number  of 
insects.  They  are  called  animalcules.  The 
musqueto  catches  these,  and  conveys  them  to  its 
mouth  by  means  of  little  hooks  attached  to  its 
head. 

After  existing  for  a  short  time  in  the  state  of 
a  worm,  it  becomes  a  chrysalis ;  and  enclosed 
in  its  little  case,  it  lies  coiled  up  on  the  surface 
of  the  water,  taking  no  food,  but  unrolling  itself 
and  descending  to  the  bottom  when  disturbed. 

When  the  proper  time  has  arrived  for  it  to 
leave  the  water  and  take  its  place  among  the 
inhabitants  of  the  air,  it  stretches  itself  out  at 
full  length,  bursts  its  skin  at  the  top,  and  draw- 
ing itself  out  with  its  wings  closely  folded 
around  it,  it  raises  its  head,  and  using  its  skin, 
which  is  still  attached  to  the  lower  part  of  the 
body,  as  a  boat,  begins  to  float  to  land.  This 
is  a  dangerous  moment ;  for  if  a  drop  of  water 
gets  into  its  little  boat,  or  a  puff  of  wind  blows 
it  over  on  its  side,  it  may  sink  instantly.  It 
generally  arrives  safety,  however,  and  spread- 
ing its  wings,  goes  whirring  and  whizzing  about 
in  the  air,  as  if  it  had  never  known  any  other 
element. 

And  now,  if  I  have  succeeded  in  making  you 


138  LIFE    IN    THE    INSECT    WORLD. 

feel  some  interest  in  the  musqueto,  I  should 
like  to  show  you  one  through  the  microscope. 

Rene&.  I  did  not  know  before  that  there  was 
any  thing  curious  about  musquetoes,  but  I  am 
beginning  to  feel  quite  an  interest  in  them.  I 
think  I  shall  not  be  so  provoked  at  them  when 
they  bite  me  again. 

Jlunt  M.  It  is  very  wrong  to  be  provoked 
at  them;  we  should  remember  that  they  are 
only  taking  their  food,  without  being  at  all  sen- 
sible that  they  are  doing  us  an  injury.  They 
are  very  annoying,  it  is  true,  and  we  are  at 
liberty  to  protect  ourselves  against  their  attacks 
as  much  as  possible ;  but  we  do  ourselves  far 
more  injury,  by  becoming  irritated  and  giving 
way  to  our  tempers,  than  these  little  insects 
have  it  in  their  power  to  do  us.  Let  us  now 
take  a  look  at  the  little  fellow. 

Rene&.  Why  I  thought  its  body  was  smooth; 
but  it  is  covered  with  scales  and  hairs.  Just 
look  at  it,  Harriet,  and  see  its  wings  how  beau- 
tifully they  are  marked. 

Harriet.  Yes,  I  see  them ;  and  its  antennae 
look  like  feathers. 

•Aunt  M.  Now  let  Anna  and  Mary  look  at 
it ;  do  you  see  its  sucker  ? 


LIFE    IN    THE    INSECT    WORLD,  139 

Mary.     Yes,  I  see  it. 

JLunt  M.  This  little  sucker,  which,  you  see, 
is  finer  than  a  hair,  has  enclosed  within  it  five 
separate  lancets,  several  of  them  having  teeth 
on  one  side.  These  lancets  cannot  be  seen 
without  the  aid  of  a  powerful  microscope,  and 
it  would  of  course  be  utterly  impossible  for  the 
hand  of  man  to  form  any  thing  so  small ;  yet 
they  are  all  fashioned  with  the  most  exact 
nicety.  With  these  it  pierces  the  skin,  and  then 
throws  a  poisonous  fluid  into  the  wound ;  it  is 
supposed  for  the  purpose  of  thinning  the  blood, 
and  rendering  it  easier  to  suck. 

Musquetoes  require  very  little  food,  and  it  is 
believed  that  when  they  cannot  get  blood,  they 
are  satisfied  with  sucking  the  juices  of  flowers 
and  fruits.  It  is  said  indeed  that  the  male 
musqueto  never  tastes  blood. 

In  marshy  places  musquetoes  are  often  very 
abundant,  and  have  sometimes  been  seen  rising 
in  columns  from  four  to  five  feet  in  width,  and 
to  the  height  of  forty  or  fifty  feet ;  looking  so 
much  like  thick  columns  of  smoke,  that  persons 
at  a  little  distance  have  given  the  alarm  that 
there  was  a  fire  in  the  neighborhood. 

They  are,  of  course,  very  annoying  to  the  in- 


140  LIFE    IN    THE    INSECT    WORLD. 

habitants,  who  are  obliged  to  keep  their  doors 
and  windows  closed  to  prevent  their  intrusion 
into  their  houses. 

I  believe  I  have  now  told  you  all  that  is  par- 
ticularly interesting  in  the  history  of  the  mus- 
queto.  What  would  you  like  to  hear  about  next? 

Rene6.  I  know  what  I  should  like  to  hear 
about. 

Aunt  M.     What  is  it  ? 

Renei.  When  I  was  out  of  town  the  other 
day,  I  saw  five  beautiful  glass  bee-hives  full  of 
bees.  I  watched  them  for  a  long  time.  They 
were  constantly  in  motion,  but  I  could  not  find 
out  what  they  were  doing ;  and  I  thought  to 
myself,  I  wish  Aunt  Mary  was  here  to  tell  me 
what  those  bees  are  about,  but  I  will  ask  her 
when  I  get  home. 

Aunt  M.  I  intended  to  tell  you  about  Bees 
sometime,  as  they  are  among  the  most  interest- 
ing insects  in  the  world ;  and  as  Rene6  is  par- 
ticularly interested  in  them  now,  we  will  take 
them  for  the  subject  of  our  next  conversation. 


HIVE    BEES. 


Fig.  1.  Wax-workers  secreting  wax.     2.  Working  Bee. 
3.  Queen  Bee.     4.  Drone. 


LIFE    IN    THE    INSECT    WORLD.  143 


EVENING  THIRTEENTH. 


HIVE    BEES. 

JReneS.     Now  for  the  bees,  Aunt  Mary. 

Aunt  M.  There  are  many  different  species 
of  bees,  all  of  which  are  curious  and  interesting; 
but  I  will  first  tell  you  of  the  Hive  Bees,  which, 
although  they  are  naturally  found  in  a  wild  state, 
building  in  hollow  trees  and  other  places  which 
will  afford  them  a  convenient  shelter,  seem  well 
satisfied  to  live  in  the  hives  provided  for  them 
by  man,  as  the  wren  and  some  other  birds  are 
willing  to  build  their  nests  in  the  little  boxes  or 
houses  that  have  been  made  for  them. 

For  many  hundreds  of  years,  the  habits  of 
these  wonderful  little  insects  have  been  careful- 
ly studied.  We  read  of  one  man  who  spent  his 


144  LIFE    IN    THE    INSECT    WORLD. 

whole  life  in  forests,  for  the  purpose  of  examin- 
ing them.  But  it  was  not  until  the  invention  of 
glass  hives,  a  hundred  and  thirty  years  ago,  that 
their  proceedings  could  be  distinctly  observed. 
Since  that  time  they  have  been  carefully  studied 
by  many  naturalists,  who  have  spared  neither 
time  nor  labor  in  ascertaining  the  important  facts 
respecting  them. 

Three  kinds  of  bees  are  found  in  the  hive: 
the  queen  bee,  the  drones,  and  the  working 
bees. 

The  queen  bee  is  the  mother  of  the  family, 
and  governs  the  hive ;  the  drones  are  males, 
and  live  a  life  of  idleness,  taking  no  part  in  the 
labor  of  the  household ;  while  the  workers  build 
the  cells,  take  care  of  the  young,  collect  the  ho- 
ney, and  perform  all  the  labor  of  the  family. 

You  know  the  honey  combs  are  made  of  wax; 
and  no  doubt  you  have  all  noticed  the  beautiful 
regularity  of  the  little  cells  that  form  them. 
These  cells  are  six-sided,  the  form  which  is 
better  suited  to  the  purposes  of  the  bee  than 
any  other,  because  they  fit  together  so  perfectly 
that  not  a  particle  of  wax  is  wasted,  and  they 
have  the  largest  space  with  the  least  material. 


LIFE    IN    THE    INSECT    WORLD.  145 

The  working  bees  are  divided  into  two 
classes,  called  wax-workers  and  nurse  bees.  It 
is  the  particular  duty  of  the  wax-workers  to 
supply  the  wax  of  which  the  combs  are  made, 
which  is  obtained,  not  from  flowers,  as  has  been 
supposed,  but  from  their  own  bodies,  as  I  will 
presently  explain  to  you.  The  nurse  bees  take 
care  of  the  young,  and  assist  in  the  building  of 
the  cells.  Both  classes  collect  honey. 

When  a  swarm  of  bees  is  placed  in  an  empty 
hive,  they  are  immediately  in  want  of  cells  in 
which  to  store  their  honey  and  rear  their  young; 
and  the  first  thing  to  be  done  is  to  provide  the 
wax  of  which  these  cells  are  to  be  made.  This 
is  done  by  the  wax- workers,  who,  after  swal- 
lowing as  much  honey  as  their  stomachs  will 
contain,  are  obliged  to  remain  perfectly  quiet 
for  many  hours  ;  and  for  this  purpose  they  hang 
in  clusters  from  the  top  of  the  hive,  each  cling- 
ing to  the  legs  of  the  other,  while  the  wax  forms 
in  scales  under  the  rings  of  their  bodies.  But  I 
can  give  you  a  better  idea  of  the  whole  opera- 
tion by  describing  some  of  the  experiments  of 
M.  Huber,  who  devoted  much  time  to  the  ex- 


13* 


146  LIFE    IN    THE    INSECT    WORLD. 

animation  of  the  habits  of  these  curious  little 
insects. 

He  put  a  swarm  of  bees,  and  a  basin  contain- 
ing syrup  of  sugar,  into  a  large  bell-shaped 
glass,  in  the  top  of  which  he  had  glued  several 
pieces  of  wood,  knowing  that  the  glass  would 
be  too  smooth  for  the  bees  to  cling  to. 

As  no  young  ones  had  been  placed  in  the 
glass,  and  the  nurse  bees  had  nothing  to  do  at 
home,  they  went  out  in  search  of  food ;  but  the 
wax-workers  crowded  around  the  edge  of  the 
basin,  and  having  filled  themselves  with  the 
syrup,  two  of  them  crawled  up  the  side  of  the 
glass  and  clung  by  their  fore  feet  to  the  wooden 
strips  with  their  bodies  hanging  downward. 
Two  others  then  mounted,  clinging  with  their 
fore  feet  to  the  hind  legs  of  the  first.  Many 
others  followed  their  example  until  they  formed 
a  sort  of  festoon  or  curtain.  In  this  state  they 
remained  perfectly  motionless  for  about  fifteen 
hours,  and  toward  the  latter  part  of  the  time 
the  scales  of  wax  might  be  seen  projecting  from 
under  the  rings  of  their  bodies,  making  them 
look  as  if  edged  with  white.  At  length  one  of 
them  separated  itself  from  the  rest,  and  selecting 


LIFE    IN    THE    INSECT    WORLD.  147 

a  suitable  place  in  the  centre  of  one  of  the  slips 
of  wood,  removed  a  scale  of  wax  with  its  claw, 
and  drawing  it  backward  and  forward  through 
its  mandibles,  and  using  its  tongue  as  a  trowel, 
it  moulded  it  to  its  liking  and  fastened  it  to  the 
wood.  It  then  drew  out  another  which  it  pre- 
pared in  the  same  manner ;  and  when  it  had 
removed  them  all  it  quietly  walked  off,  leaving 
its  companions  to  carry  on  the  work  it  had  be- 
gun. A  second  and  third  followed  in  succession, 
but  by  this  time  other  workers  had  so  crowded 
in  front  of  the  little  builders  that  the  naturalist 
could  not  see  their  further  operations. 

But  he  was  too  persevering  to  be  easily  dis- 
couraged ;  so  he  placed  another  swarm  in  a 
hive,  in  the  bottom  of  which  he  put  several 
large  pieces  of  honey  comb,  the  cells  of  some 
containing  honey,  and  others  grubs.  He  glued 
several  thin  strips  of  wood  across  the  lower  part 
of  the  hive  a  few  inches  above  the  combs ; 
thinking  he  would  have  a  better  opportunity  of 
seeing  the  bees  at  work  if  they  built  upward 
from  the  bottom,  instead  of  downward  from  the 
top  of  the  hive.  This  experiment  succeeded 
completely.  The  nurse  bees  immediately  dis- 


148  LIFE    IN    THE    INSECT    WORLD. 

played  their  usual  activity;  they  dispersed 
themselves  throughout  the  hive,  some  feeding 
the  young,  and  others  arranging  every  thing  to 
suit  their  convenience.  The  pieces  of  comb 
had  been  roughly  cut,  and  in  some  places  bro- 
ken. They  beat  down  the  old  wax,  kneaded  it 
with  their  mandibles,  and  used  it  for  repairing 
the  damaged  parts  and  binding  the  edges  of  the 
comb. 

While  all  this  was  going  on,  the  wax-workers, 
instead  of  taking  any  part  in  the  labor,  remained 
perfectly  quiet ;  and  after  continuing  in  this  state 
for  about  twenty-four  hours,  wax  was  formed 
under  their  rings,  and  they  were  ready  to  com- 
mence the  building  of  a  new  comb. 

Again  one  of  them  was  seen  to  select  a  suit- 
able place  for  the  foundation  and  to  deposit  its 
scales  of  wax.  Others  followed,  and  a  wall  of 
wax  was  soon  raised,  solid  and  irregular,  but 
without  any  appearance  of  cells. 

At  this  time  one  of  the  nurse  bees  separated 
itself  from  the  group  which  was  attending  upon 
the  young,  and  mounted  the  waxen  wall.  After 
examining  it  carefully  on  every  side,  it  scooped 
out  a  portion  of  the  wax  and  began  to  form  a 


LIFE    IN    THE    INSECT    WORLD.  149 

cell.  After  working  diligently  for  a  little  while 
it  walked  off,  and  another  took  its  place.  Others 
followed  in  succession,  forming  cells  on  each 
side  of  the  wall. 

More  wax  was  soon  needed,  when  some  of 
the  wax-workers  which  had  not  yet  removed 
their  scales,  came  and  added  materials  to  the 
block,  so  as  to  enable  the  nurse  bees  to  carry 
on  theirwork. 

Thus  each  one  performed  its  part  quietly  and 
harmoniously,  coming  at  the  moment  when  it 
was  needed,  and  doing  what  was  required. 

But  the  cells  were  not  yet  finished,  for  wax 
is  not  the  only  material  employed  in  their  for- 
mation. If  they  were  composed  of  wax  alone, 
they  would  be  too  tender  and  brittle  to  answer 
the  purpose  of  the  bees ;  arid  they  therefore 
make  use  of  a  gummy  substance  called  propo- 
lis, to  strengthen,  cement,  and  varnish  them. 

It  appears  that  this  substance  is  principally 
obtained  from  the  buds  of  the  poplar  tree. 
While  some  are  busily  engaged,  as  we  have 
seen,  within  the  hive,  preparing  the  wax  and 
forming  the  cells,  others  fly  away  into  the  fields 
and  woods ;  some  in  search  of  propolis,  and 


150  LIFE    IN    THE    INSECT    WORLD. 

some  of  pollen,  which  they  use  in  the  prepara- 
tion of  food  for  their  young.  Do  you  know 
what  pollen  is  ? 

Harriet.  Pollen  is  the  yellow  dust  found  in 
flowers,  is  it  not  ? 

Aunt  M.  Yes,  it  is  found  on  the  stamens  or 
little  threads  around  the  centre  of  the  flower. 

Bees  have  a  hollow  in  each  of  their  hind 
legs,  somewhat  in  the  shape  of  a  basket,  the 
bottom  hard  and  smooth,  and  the  sides  lined 
with  hairs;  in  which  they  carry  propolis  and 
pollen. 

When  they  have  packed  these  curious  little 
baskets  with  propolis,  patting  it  down  so  as  to 
make  them  hold  as  much  as  posible,  they  return 
with  their  treasure  to  the  hive.  Their  arrival 
produces  an  interesting  scene  of  active  industry 
within  their  little  home.  Some  of  their  com- 
panions unload  them  ;  some  pile  up  the  propolis 
in  heaps  on  the  floor  of  the  hive ;  others 
hasten  to  spread  it  out  in  flakes  before  it  be- 
comes dry  ;  and  others,  taking  small  portions  of 
it  in  their  mouths,  begin  to  cement  and  varnish 
the  cells. 

Those  who  are  thus  engaged  in  finishing  the 


LIFE    IN    THE    INSECT    WORLD.  151 

cells  never  leave  the  work  until  it  is  completed ; 
and,  as  they  occasionally  need  refreshment, 
there  are  waiters  constantly  in  attendance  to 
supply  their  wants.  When  one  of  them  is  hun- 
gry, it  lowers  its  trunk  to  show  that  it  has  an 
inclination  to  eat.  One  of  the  waiters  imme- 
diately approaches,  and  putting  its  trunk  to  that 
of  its  companion,  gives  it  a  few  drops  of  honey, 
after  which  it  returns  to  its  employment. 

When  the  weather  is  very  warm,  a  number 
of  bees  may  be  seen  standing  at  the  entrance  of 
the  hive,  busily  engaged  fanning  those  who  are 
at  work  within. 

Mary.     What  do  they  fan  them  with  ? 

Jlunt  M.  They  fan  them  with  their  wings. 
One  of  my  friends  told  me  that  he  witnessed 
this  operation  only  a  few  days  ago.  Fifteen  or 
twenty  bees  stood  before  the  entrance  of  the 
hive,  with  their  faces  turned  towards  it,  moving 
their  wings  so  rapidly  that  he  could  scarcely 
perceive  that  they  had  wings  at  all.  The  day 
was  very  warm,  and  there  was  not  wind  enough 
to  stir  the  leaves  upon  the  trees  ;  yet  when  he 
hung  a  heavy  feather  behind  the  bees,  nearly  a 
foot  from  the  entrance  of  the  hive,  it  was  imrne- 


152  LIFE    IN    THE    INSECT    WORLD. 

diately  blown  aside  by  the  current  produced  by 
the  motion  of  their  wings.  Occasionally  one  of 
them  flew  away,  probably  wearied  with  its  ex- 
ertions, and  its  place  was  immediately  supplied 
by  another. 

Besides  cementing  and  varnishing  the  cells, 
the  bees  strengthen  the  weaker  parts  with  a  sort 
of  mortar  made  of  a  mixture  of  propolis  and 
wax.  The  propolis  is  also  used  for  various 
other  purposes.  If  an  intruder,  which  is  too  large 
to  be  carried  out  by  the  bees,  venture  into  the  hive, 
a  snail  for  instance,  they  sting  it  to  death,  and 
cover  its  body  with  propolis  to  prevent  the 
unpleasant  smell  that  would  otherwise  arise 
from  it.  But  if  a  snail  with  a  shell  happen  to 
get  in,  as  is  sometimes  the  case,  they  manage  it 
with  less  difficulty  ;  for  the  moment  they  sting 
it  it  retreats  into  its  shell,  and  they  immediately 
seal  up  the  opening  and  fasten  it  in  for  ever. 

JRenet.  The  poor  snail !  But  how  smart  it 
is  in  the  bees  to  think  of  shutting  him  up  in  his 
shell,  I  think  they  are  the  most  wonderful 
insects  we  have  heard  of  at  all,  except  the 
ants. 

•Aunt  M.     They  are  indeed,  and  I  have  many 


LIFE    IN    THE    INSECT    WORLD.  153 

curious  things  to  tell  you  of  them  yet.  Do  you 
think  you  understand  all  I  have  told  you  about 
the  building  of  the  cells  ? 

Harriet.     I  think  I  do. 

JRenet.  And  so  do  I ;  only  I  should  like  to 
know  whether  the  young  ones  are  all  in  one 
great  cell,  or  in  many  little  cells. 

•ftunt  M+  They  are  not  all  in  one  cell,  though 
the  cells  are  of  different  sizes.  Those  in  which 
the  eggs  of  the  workers  are  deposited,  are  smal- 
ler than  those  built  for  drones,  because  the  grubs 
of  the  drones  are  larger,  and,  of  course,  require 
more  room.  The  royal  cells,  as  they  are  called, 
are  also  larger,  and  in  these  the  queen  occasion- 
ally lays  an  egg,  which  in  time  becomes  a  queen. 
When  there  is  a  sufficient  quantity  of  comb  in 
the  hive,  the  wax-workers,  instead  of  retaining 
the  honey  in  their  stomachs  to  form  wax,  empty 
it  into  the  cells  ;  and  as  soon  as  a  comb  is  filled, 
the  cells  are  sealed  with  wax,  and  it  is  reserved 
by  these  provident  little  creatures  for  winter  use, 
when,  as  flowers  are  not  blooming,  honey  can- 
not be  otherwise  obtained. 

Although  the  cells  are  never  opened  during 
the  summer,  a  small  quantity  of  honey  is  kept 
14 


154  LIFE    IN    THE    INSECT    WORLD. 

constantly  on  hand  to  supply  the  daily  wants  of 
the  family.  But  they  are  never  wasteful,  even 
of  this ;  each  individual  being  allowed  to  take 
as  much  as  it  requires,  but  no  more. 

I  have  not  yet  told  you  much  about  the  go- 
vernment of  the  family ;  but  as  I  should  not  be 
able  to  get  through  with  my  story  to-night,  we 
will  leave  it  now,  and  begin  afresh  another 
evening. 


LIFE    IN    THE    INSECT    WORLD.  155 


EVENING  FOURTEENTH. 


HIVE    BEES. 

« 

Jlunt  M.  The  attachment  of  bees  to  their 
queen  is  one  of  the  most  interesting  traits  in 
their  character.  They  wait  upon  her  with  the 
greatest  kindness  and  respect,  supply  her  wants, 
and  follow  her  as  a  guard  when  she  moves.  If 
she  die,  or  if  any  accident  deprive  them  of  her, 
those  who  first  discover  the  loss  communicate 
the  sorrowful  intelligence  to  the  rest,  and  in  a 
few  minutes  the  whole  hive  is  in  confusion. 
Work  is  at  an  end,  and  consternation  and  dis- 
tress prevail  throughout  the  family. 

If  she  has  been  taken  out  of  the  hive,  they 
immediately  go  in  search  of  her ;  and  if  she  is 


156  LIFE    IN    THE    INSECT    WORLD. 

dead,  they  faithfully  watch  and  guard  her  body, 
and  will  not  suffer  any  one  to  touch  it. 

Jlnna.  How  strange !  I  suppose  they  do 
not  bury  her. 

*ftunt  M.  No ;  but  if,  at  the  time  of  her 
death,  there  are  no  eggs  or  grubs  in  the  cells, 
they  seem  to  feel  that  they  have  nothing  left  to 
live  for,  and  refusing  to  eat,  they  die  in  a  few 
days.  But  if  there  are  any  grubs  in  the  royal 
cells,  they  are  diverted  from  their  sorrow  by 
their  attention  to  them.  They  watch  them 
constantly  until  they  are  ready  to  leave  their 
pupa  cases,  when  one  of  them  becomes  their 
queen. 

If  there  are  no  royal  grubs,  they  take  the 
grub  of  a  worker,  and  putting  it  into  a  royal 
cell,  or  throwing  three  of  the  worker  cells  into 
one,  by  knocking  down  the  partitions  between 
them,  they  feed  it  upon  the  kind  of  food  which 
is  commonly  given  only  to  the  queen  grubs, 
which  seems  to  change  its  nature,  for  it  grows 
much  larger  than  an  ordinary  worker,  and  in 
time  becomes  a  queen. 

Sometimes  a  new  queen  has  been  placed  in 
the  hive  immediately  after  the  death  of  the  old 


LIFE    IN    THE    INSECT     WORLD*  157 

one ;  but  the  bees  appear  to  look  upon  her  as 
an  intruder,  for,  instead  of  manifesting  their  af- 
fection as  dutiful  and  loyal  subjects,  they  either 
starve  or  smother  her.  But  when  the  first  sor- 
row for  their  loss  is  over,  and  they  have  become 
quiet  and  calm,  a  new  queen  is  well  received, 
and  immediately  acknowledged  as  their  sove- 
reign. They  walk  around  her  in  circles,  offer 
her  honey,  and  follow  her  about  when  she 
moves. 

Mary.  I  think  I  should  like  to  live  awhile 
in  a  bee-hive,  and  just  see  how  they  go  on. 

ReneL  Live  in  a  bee-hive !  Why  you  would 
soon  be  stung  to  death. 

Mary.  Oh,  but  I  would  be  a  bee,  just  like 
the  rest,  and  then  I  should  understand  all  they 
did,  and  know  what  they  were  thinking  about. 

Jlnna.  Would  you  be  a  queen,  or  a  drone, 
or  a  worker  ? 

Harriet.  I  am  sure  I  would  never  be  a 
drone ;  the  lazy  creatures  !  I  should  think  they 
would  not  be  happy  at  all. 

Anna.  I  think  I  should  like  to  be  a  queen, 
and  have  all  the  bees  to  love  me. 

Mary.  No,  no ;  I  would  be  a  worker,  and 
14* 


158  LIFE    IN    THE    INSECT    WORLD. 

always  be  busy,  and  how  I  would  wait  upon 
the  queen. 

Harriet.  Our  mother  is  our  queen  ;  is  she 
not,  Aunt  Mary? 

*ftunt  M.  Yes,  she  should  be  your  queen, 
and  you  should  be  her  loving  workers. 

Your  occupations  are  much  more  interesting 
than  those  of  bees,  arid  you  need  never  be  at  a 
loss  for  plenty  of  useful  and  agreeable  employ- 
ment. You  need  never  have  to  say, "  Oh,  what 
shall  I  do  next  ?  I  wish  I  had  something  to  do." 
You  can  wait  upon  your  parents,  watch  over 
your  little  brothers  and  sisters,  be  diligent  and 
attentive  in  your  school,  and  improve  your 
minds  by  reading  instructive  books. 

And  then,  when  you  are  at  liberty  to  run  and 
play,  how  much  you  will  enjoy  it !  Everything 
will  look  fresh  and  bright  and  beautiful.  Your 
work  will  have  given  you  a  relish  for  your  play, 
and  your  play  will  refresh  you,  so  that  you  can 
return  with  increased  interest  to  your  employ- 
ment. 

Rene6.  And  besides  this,  we  might  some- 
times make  a  frock  or  an  apron  for  some  poor 
little  child,  who  cannot  do  it  herself,  and  whose 


LIFE    IN    THE    INSECT    WORLD.  159 

mother  has  to  work  so  hard  that  she  has  not 
time  to  do  it  for  her. 

Harriet.  Or  we  might  learn  to  make  gruel, 
and  such  little  nice  things,  and  carry  them  to 
sick  people. 

Rene6.  Or  we  might  go  and  read  to  them 
sometimes. 

Last  summer  I  used  often  to  go  to  see  a  poor 
old  woman  who  lived  near  our  house,  and  who 
was  very  sick.  She  could  not  read  herself,  and 
she  loved  to  hear  me  read ;  and  when  she  saw 
me  coming,  she  would  sometimes  say,  "Oh,  here 
comes  that  sweet  child  with  her  book;  she  is 
the  Lord's  own  blessing  to  me.  Her  visits  do 
me  more  good  than  all  the  doctor's  medicine." 
One  day  I  took  her  a  bunch  of  flowers  out  of  my 
own  garden,  and  she  was  so  pleased,  she  held 
them  up,  and  looked  at  them  awhile,  and  said, 
"  How  pretty  they  are  !  What  beautiful  things 
our  Heavenly  Father  makes  for  us  !" 

She  was  a  dear  old  woman,  but  she  has  gone 
to  Heaven  now. 

Aunt  M.  And  my  dear  little  Renee  has  the 
satisfaction  of  knowing  that  she  added  something 
to  the  enjoyment  of  her  life.  It  is  a  great  privi- 


160  LIFE    IN    THE    INSECT    WORLD. 

lege  to  able  to  do  good ;  and  there  is  no  surer 
way  of  becoming  happy  ourselves,  than  by  try- 
ing to  make  others  so. 

But  we  must  not  forget  the  bees.  What  was 
I  telling  you  about  them  last  ? 

Harriet.  About  their  affection  for  their 
queen. 

Jlunt  M.  Oh,  yes  ;  and  I  have  one  or  two 
anecdotes  to  tell  you  which  will  illustrate  this. 

A  gentleman  took  a  hive  in  which  a  swarm 
of  bees  had  settled  the  day  before,  and  shaking 
them  all  out  upon  the  ground,  he  stirred  them 
about  with  a  stick  until  he  found  the  queen. 
He  seized  her  and  a  number  of  her  attendants, 
and  putting  them  into  a  box,  carried  them  into 
his  parlor.  He  then  raised  the  lid,  when  the 
queen  immediately  flew  towards  the  window, 
followed  by  her  attendants.  But  he  again 
caught  her,  and  cutting  off  one  of  her  wings, 
returned  her  to  the  box.  It  was  not  long  be- 
fore the  whole  swarm  of  bees  which  had  been 
left  upon  the  ground  discovered  that  their  queen 
was  missing.  They  immediately  spread  them- 
selves about,  as  if  in  search  of  her ;  appeared 
greatly  agitated  and  distressed ;  and  uttered  a 
mournful  sound. 


LIFE    IN    THE    INSECT    WORLD.  161 

At  length  they  all  alighted  upon  a  hedge;  but 
instead  of  clustering  together,  as  they  would 
have  done  if  their  queen  had  been  among  them, 
they  separated  themselves  into  small  companies 
on  different  parts  of  the  hedge.  While  they 
were  in  this  state,  the  gentleman  brought  them 
their  queen.  The  poor  creature  had  but  one 
wing,  and,  of  course,  could  not  fly ;  but  the  bees 
immediately  gathered  around  her.  Their  cry 
of  sorrow  was  instantly  changed  into  one  of 
joy,  and  they  clustered  together  as  usual. 

That  night  they  were  all  put  into  the  hive, 
and  the  next  morning  he  again  took  away  their 
queen.  Again  the  poor  bees  went  about  in 
search  of  her,  manifesting  their  distress  as  be- 
fore. At  length  she  was  again  brought  out,  and 
laid  first  in  one  place  and  then  in  another  ;  but 
wherever  she  was  carried  the  bees  followed, 
gathering  around  her,  and  marching  up  and 
down  before  her. 

They  were  tormented  in  this  way  for  several 
days  and  nights — their  queen  being  taken  from 
them  in  the  morning,  and  returned  to  them  in 
the  evening;  but,  during  the  whole  time  of 
their  separation,  neither  she  nor  her  affectionate 


162  LIFE    IN    THE    INSECT    WORLD. 

subjects  could  be  induced  to  eat,  and,  in  about 
five  days,  they  were  all  dead. 

Harriet.     Oh,  the  poor  bees  ! 

Mary.  It  seems  to  me  they  are  almost  as 
knowing  as  people. 

Renei.     Yes,  and  as  loving,  too. 

Aunt  M.  Their  knowledge  is  very  limited, 
compared  with  ours,  but  they  have  enough  to 
answer  all  their  purposes,  and  they  appear  to 
make  use  of  all  they  have. 

I  will  tell  you  another  story. 

In  a  hive,  in  which  there  was  a  small  family 
of  bees,  the  queen  was  seen  lying  on  a  piece  of 
honey  comb,  apparently  dying.  Six  bees  stood 
around  her,  with  their  faces  turned  towards  her, 
their  wings  quivering,  and  their  stings  uncover- 
ed, like  soldiers  with  drawn  swords.  Honey 
was  offered  to  them,  but  they  refused  to  taste  it. 
The  queen  died  on  the  following  day,  but  the 
bees  continued  to  guard  her  body ;  and,  al- 
though supplied  with  honey,  they  gradually 
pined,  and  died  in  a  few  days. 

A  gentleman,  named  Wildman,  used  to  per- 
form wonderful  feats  with  bees.  He  seemed  to 
be  able  to  do  any  thing  he  pleased  with  them. 


LIFE    IN    THE    INSECT    WORLD.  163 

He  could  make  them  settle  on  his  head,  or  his 
arm,  or  hang  from  his  chin  like  a  beard ;  and 
then  command  them  to 'leave  him,  and  alight 
somewhere  else.  Those  who  were  present,  and 
saw  these  things,  could  not  comprehend  them. 
It  really  appeared  as  if  the  bees  understood  his 
language. 

But  Wildman  himself  explains  the  whole 
mystery.  He  found  that  when  he  turned  up  a 
hive,  and  made  a  few  taps  on  the  bottom  and 
sides,  the  queen  would  immediately  appear.  He 
knew  her  instantly,  and  catching  her  tenderly  in 
one  hand,  he  carefully  slipped  her  into  the  other, 
and  held  her  until  the  bees,  missing  her,  were 
all  in  confusion,  and  flying  about  in  search  of 
her.  He  would  then  place  her  in  view,  either 
on  his  head,  or  his  arm,  or  any  where  he  pleas- 
ed, knowing  the  bees  would  immediately  collect 
around  her,  and,  in  this  way,  he  could  make 
them  follow  wherever  he  chose  to  lead  them. 

Harriet.  I  suppose  he  was  careful  to  con- 
ceal the  queen  from  the  people  who  were  look- 
ing on. 

Jiunt  M.  No  doubt  he  tried  to  do  so ;  and, 
in  order  to  make  it  appear  still  more  wonderful 


164  LIFE    IN    THE    INSECT    WORLD. 

to  them,  he  would  command  the  bees  to  settle, 
now  upon  his  head,  and  now  upon  his  arm,  and 
so  on.  They  did  not  know  that  he  held  the 
charmer  in  his  hand. 

«  Such  was  the  spell  which  round  a  Wildman's  arm, 
Twined  in  dark  wreaths  the  fascinated  swarm, 
Bright  o'er  his  breast  the  glittering  legions  led, 
Or  with  a  living  garland  bound  his  head. 
His  dexterous  hand,  with  firm  yet  hurtless  hold, 
Could  seize  the  chief,  known  by  her  scales  of  gold, 
Preen,  'mid  the  wandering  throng,  her  filmy  wing, 
Or  o'er  her  folds  the  silken  fetter  fling." 

I  expected  to  finish  my  story  of  the  hive  bees 
to-night,  but  the  evenings  are  short  now,  and  it 
is  already  bed  time. 

Rene&.  I  should  like  to  hear  every  thing 
about  bees ;  they  are  so  interesting. 

Aunt  M.  Very  well,  we  will  talk  more 
about  them  at  another  time. 


LIFE     IN    THE    INSECT    WORLD.  165 


EVENING  FIFTEENTH 


HIVE   BEES. 

Rene6.  What  is  meant  by  swarming,  Aunt 
Mary  ?  I  heard  the  gentleman  who  owned  the 
bee-hives  I  saw  in  the  country  the  other  day, 
say,  that  the  bees  in  one  of  the  hives  swarmed 
three  times  last  season,  and  twiee  this.  What 
did  he  mean  by  that  ? 

Aunt  M.  The  queen  bee  sometimes  lays 
from  sixty  to  seventy  thousand  eggs  in  the 
course  of  the  season ;  and  if  all  the  bees  pro- 
duced from  these,  in  addition  to  those  already  in 
the  hive,  were  suffered  to  remain,  it  would  be 
too  small  to  accommodate  them.  This  is  pre- 
vented by  large  parties  or  swarms  of  bees  occa- 
sionally leaving  the  hive. 

15 


166  LIFE    IN    THE    INSECT    WORLD. 

I  will  explain  to  you  thow  this  is  brought 
about. 

In  the  spring  the  workers  build  a  few  royal 
cells,  in  which  the  queen  deposits  a  small  num- 
ber of  eggs.  When  the  oldest  royal  grub  pro- 
duced from  these  is  ready  to  be  changed  into 
a  pupa,  the  mother  queen,  collecting  around  her 
a  large  number  of  workers  of  different  ages, 
leaves  the  hive.  They  generally  alight  on  the 
branch  of  a  tree,  from  which  they  hang  in  a 
cluster,  clinging  to  each  other's  legs  as  the  wax 
workers  do  when  secreting  wax.  Some  of  these 
clusters  or  swarms  contain  as  many  as  forty 
thousand  bees. 

When  they  are  found  in  this  state,  a  hive  is 
put  under  them ;  they  are  shaken  into  it,  and 
there  they  take  up  their  abode,  and  form  a  new 
family. 

We  will  now  go  back  to  the  home  they  have 
left,  and  see  what  is  going  on  there.  The  eldest 
royal  grub  is  now  released  from  her  pupa  case, 
and  is  ready  to  become  a  queen.  But  the 
workers,  instead  of  acknowledging  her  as  their 
sovereign,  treat  her  with  indifference.  She  be- 
comes agitated,  and  marching  about  the  hive, 


LIFE    IN    THE    INSECT    WORLD.  167 

appears  to  communicate  her  feelings  to  a  portion 
of  the  workers,  and  very  soon,  attended  by  them, 
she  also  leaves  the  hive. 

These  cluster  together  like  the  first,  are  placed 
in  a  hive,  and  become  another  family.  And  now 
a  second  queen  is  set  at  liberty  ;  but  she  too  is 
treated  with  indifference,  and  leaves  in  the  same 
manner.  This  is  swarming. 

There  are  still  other  royal  grubs  in  the  cells, 
and  one  of  these  becomes  queen  of  the  parent 
hive,  and  is  treated  with  the  respect  she  de- 
serves. 

For  several  nights  before  a  swarm  of  bees 
leaves  the  hive,  a  singular  sound  may  be  heard 
within  it,  which  appears  to  proceed  from  a  single 
bee,  while  all  the  rest  are  unusually  silent.  What 
this  strange  sound  means,  or  whether  it  is  made 
by  the  queen  bee,  is  not  known,  although  many 
curious  notions  have  been  entertained  respect- 
ing it.  A  fine,  clear  day  is  always  chosen  for 
the  departure  of  a  swarm,  and  if  there  should 
be  any  appearance  of  rain,  even  after  they  have 
left  the  hive,  they  will  return  to  it  for  shelter, 
and  wait  until  the  sun  again  invites  them  forth. 
On  the  day  of  their  departure,  most  of  the  bees 


168  LIFE    IN    THE    INSECT    WORLD. 

remain  at  home,  and  do  but  little  work.  A  num- 
ber of  drones  and  workers  may  be  seen  about 
the  entrance  of  the  hive,  and  within  all  is  con- 
fusion, until  the  travellers,  (if  we  may  so  call 
them,)  having  partaken  of  a  hearty  meal,  are 
prepared  for  their  departure. 

JRene£.     How  curious  it  is  ! 

Aunt  M.  I  have  told  you  that  the  drones 
lead  an  idle  life  ;  and,  as  this  is  the  case,  it  would 
seem  hardly  fair  that  they  should  live,  through 
the  winter,  upon  the  honey  which  the  industri- 
ous workers  have  spent  the  summer  in  collect- 
ing. The  workers  seem  to  think  so,  too ;  for, 
toward  the  latter  part  of  the  summer,  all  the 
drones  are  killed. 

And  now  I  want  to  show  you  the  sting  of  a 
bee,  which  has  been  sent  me  by  a  friend.  You 
shall  see  it  through  the  microscope.  But,  in  the 
first  place,  I  should  like  you  to  look  at  this 
needle.  You  see  how  beautifully  it  is  polished, 
and  what  a  fine  point  it  has.  It  appears  per- 
fectly smooth,  does  it  not  ? 

Anna.     To  be  sure  it  does. 

Aunt  M.  We  will  now  look  at  it  through 
the  microscope. 


LIFE    IN    THE    INSECT    WORLD.  169 

Mary.     Oh,  but  that  is  not  the  needle. 

Aunt  M.  Yes,  it  is  the  very  same  needle. 
Why  not  ? 

Mary.  Why,  it  looks  blunt  and  rough,  and 
full  of  scratches  ;  it  is  not  smooth  at  all. 

Aunt  M.  And  yet  it  is  one  of  our  finest 
needles ;  and  you  see  that  out  of  the  glass  it 
appears  bright  and  smooth  as  possible ;  but  the 
microscope  shows  all  the  defects. 

And  now  we  will  look  at  the  sting  of  the  bee. 
You  see  it  is  beautifully  polished  also. 

Harriet.  So  it  is ;  but  it  does  not  look 
brighter  than  the  needle. 

Aunt  M.  We  will  examine  it  more  closely. 
Here,  Harriet,  is  the  microscope.  How  does  it 
look  now  ? 

Harriet.  Why  it  looks  just  as  bright  and 
smooth  as  before,  although  a  great  deal  larger. 

Aunt  M.  And  is  the  point  blunt  and  rough, 
like  that  of  the  needle  ? 

Harriet.  No ;  the  point  is  so  fine  I  can 
scarcely  see  it  at  all. 

Aunt  M.  I  want  you  particularly  to  notice 
and  remember  this.  We  will  lay  the  needle  and 
the  sting  side  by  side.  You  see,  that  while  one 
15* 


170  LIFE    IN    THE    INSECT    WORLD. 

is  rough  and  blunt,  and  full  of  holes  and  scratches, 
the  other  is  bright  and  smooth,  and  beautiful  as 
possible,  without  scratch  or  defect  of  any  kind. 
A  more  powerful  microscope  than  this  would 
discover  still  more  imperfections  in  the  needle, 
but  none  in  the  sting  of  the  bee.  You  will 
always  find  this  difference  between  nature  and 
art ;  between  the  works  of  God  and  of  man.  If 
you  take  the  leaf  of  a  flower,  and  examine  it 
through  a  microscope,  you  will  discover  new 
beauties,  but  you  will  never  perceive  a  defect. 
But  if  you  have  a  copy  of  that  flower  drawn 
and  colored  by  the  most  skilful  artist,  and  look 
at  it  through  the  glass,  it  will  appear  like  a  mere 
daub.  Man  can  do  wonders,  and  many  of  his 
works  are  exceedingly  beautiful,  but  he  can 
never  equal  nature. 

But  you  have  only  seen  the  outside  of  the 
sting  of  the  bee  —  the  sheath  or  covering  in 
which  the  sting  is  enclosed.  It  is  so  fine  that  I 
am  afraid  I  cannot  open  it  to  shew  you  the  real 
sting,  and  I  do  not  know  that  you  would  be  able 
to  see  it  if  I  did.  There,  I  have  succeeded  in 
separating  the  sheath.  Can  you  see  any  thing 
inside? 


LIFE    IN    THE    INSECT    WORLD.  171 

Eenei.     I  think  I  see  too  very  fine  hairs. 

•ftunt  M.  Those  are  the  darts  which  form 
the  sting.  A  stronger  microscope  would  show 
you  ten  very  fine  teeth,  like  those  of  a  saw,  upon 
the  end  of  each  of  these. 

At  the  lower  end  of  the  sting  is  a  little  bag, 
containing  a  poisonous  fluid ;  and  when  the  bee 
thrusts  its  sting  into  any  thing,  it  causes  a  pres- 
sure upon  this  bag,  and  the  poison  is  thrown 
into  the  wound.  If  the  substance  is  soft,  the 
bee  can  draw  out  its  sting  uninjured,  but  if  it 
thrusts  it  into  the  tough  skin  of  a  man's  hand,  it 
breaks  in  the  attempt  to  withdraw  it,  and  the 
end  of  it  remains  in  the  flesh.  This  breaking 
of  the  sting  always  occasions  the  death  of  the 
bee. 

I  have  now  given  you  a  pretty  full  account 
of  the  habits  of  the  domestic  bee.  There  are 
also  many  species  of  wild  honey  bees,  some  of 
which  are  found  in  America,  and  some  in. other 
places. 

A  little  black  bee,  without  a  sting,  which  is 
found  in  the  Island  of  Guadaloupe,  generally 
builds  in  the  clefts  of  rocks,  or  in  hollow  trees. 
But  instead  of  having  the  little  six-sided  cells, 


172  LIFE    IN    THE    INSECT    WORLD. 

common  in  our  bee-hives,  for  the  reception  of 
its  honey,  it  is  contained  in  waxen  bags  of  a 
deep  violet  color,  about  the  size  of  a  pigeon's 
egg.  These  bags  hang  in  clusters  like  a  bunch 
of  grapes.  Another  kind,  found  in  Brazil,  makes 
its  nest  in  trees.  These  nests  are  about  two  feet 
in  diameter,  and  the  outside  is  composed  of  hard 
clay ;  but  in  these  the  cells  are  arranged  very 
much  like  those  in  our  bee  hives,  and  contain 
an  abundance  of  honey. 

Other  species  form  their  nests  somewhat  in 
the  shape  of  a  sugar-loaf,  and  suspend  them  from 
trees,  instead  of  placing  them  in  a  hollow.  The 
honey  collected  by  these  bees  is  said  to  be  the 
finest  in  the  world.  They  are  common  in  Yu- 
catan. 

Wild  bees  also  abound  in  Africa,  and  the  na- 
tives are  assisted  in  finding  their  nests  by  means 
of  a  little  bird,  which,  from  this  circumstance, 
has  been  called  the  Honey  Guide. 

The  Honey  Guide  seems  to  be  aware  that  it 
is  not  powerful  enough  to  overcome  a  whole 
swarm  of  bees,  and  feeling  a  strong  desire  for  a 
portion  of  their  honey,  it  invites  the  assistance 
of  man.  For  this  purpose,  it  flits  from  tree  to 


LIFE    IN    THE    INSECT    WORLD.  173 

tree,  uttering  a  peculiar  sort  of  cry,  which  is 
readily  understood  by  the  natives,  who  seldom 
refuse  to  follow  it.  It  always  leads  them  to 
some  rock  or  hollow  tree,  in  which  they  find  a 
bees'  nest,  generally  well  filled  with  wax  and 
honey.  Of  this  they  always  give  the  bird  a 
share,  as  it  would  be  considered  little  less  than 
robbery  to  deprive  it  of  its  due. 

There  are  some  other  interesting  species  of 
bees,  of  which  I  intend  to  tell  you ;  but  it  is  now 
time  to  bid  good  night. 


174  LIFE    IN    THE    INSECT    WORLD. 


EVENING  SIXTEENTH. 


HUMBLE,    CARPENTER,  MASON,  AND    UPHOL- 
STERER  BEES. 

Aunt  M.  No  doubt  you  are  all  well  ac- 
quainted with  humble  bees — I  suppose  you 
have  seen  them  many  a  time . 

Anna.     Oh,  yes,  I  have  often  seen  them. 

Harriet.  So  have  I.  Do  they  make  honey 
too  ?  I  have  seen  them  sucking  the  flowers. 

Aunt  M.  Yes ;  they  live  upon  honey,  and 
keep  a  small  supply  in  their  nests ;  but  they  do 
not  store  it  away  in  large  quantities  like  the 
hive  bees,  as  they  all  die  about  the  close  of  au- 
tumn, except  a  few  of  the  females,  which  sur- 
vive the  winter. 

Early  m  the  spring,  each  of  these  solitary  fe- 
males selects  a  suitable  place  for  her  nest,  which 


LIFE    IN    THE    INSECT    WORLD.  175 

is  made  under  ground,  and  entered  by  a  long, 
winding  passage,  just  wide  enough  for  two  bees 
to  pass  each  other. 

Here  her  little  family,  composed  of  males, 
females,  and  workers,  grows  up  around  her. 
After  this,  like  the  mother  of  the  hive  bees,  she 
always  remains  at  home  ;  but,  unlike  her,  she, 
as  well  as  every  other  individual  of  the  family, 
takes  her  share  in  the  labors  of  the  household. 
There  are  no  idlers,  no  drones,  among  them. 

The  cells  are  irregularly  formed,  and  are  com- 
posed of  brown  wax. 

There  is  a  sort  of  mite  which  frequently  gets 
upon  the  body  of  the  humble  bee,  and  annoys 
it  exceedingly.  When  one  of  them  is  thus  in- 
fested, it  goes  to  an  ant  hill,  and  there  kicks  and 
scratches,  and  makes  such  a  terrible  fuss,  that 
it  disturbs  the  little  family  below,  and  brings 
some  of  them  out  of  the  nest  to  see  what  is  the 
matter.  They  soon  perceive  the  mites  on  the 
body  of  the  bee,  and  gathering  around  him, 
quickly  take  them  off.  Both  are  thus  benefitted. 
The  bee  flies  away,  happy  enough  to  get  rid  of 
his  tormentors ;  and  the  ants  are  supplied  with 
a  comfortable  meal. 

*ftnna.     How  funny  that  is. 


176  LIFE    IN    THE    INSECT    WORLD. 

Jlunt  M.  All  the  bees  of  which  I  have  been 
telling  you  live  in  families,  and  unite  their  la- 
bors for  the  common  good.  But  this  is  not  the 
case  with  every  species  of  bee. 

Many  of  them  live  alone ;  the  female  builds 
the  nest,  deposits  her  eggs  in  it,  and  never  sees 
them  afterward. 

This  is  the  case  with  the  Carpenter  bee — so 
called  from  the  circumstance  of  its  being  a 
worker  in  wood ;  and  a  most  complete  carpen- 
ter it  is.  There  are  several  kinds  of  carpenter 
bees;  but  I  will  describe  the  nest  of  one  of  them, 
which  will  give  you  an  idea  of  their  manner  of 
building. 

The  bee  selects  an  old  post,  into  which  she 
cuts  a  hole,  or  tube,  about  a  foot  in  length,  and 
half  an  inch  in  width.  This,  as  you  may  sup- 
pose, requires  a  vast  deal  of  labor.  It  is  no 
small  matter  for  a  little  bee  to  cut  a  hole  a  foot 
long  in  a  wooden  post.  But  the  work  is  beau- 
tifully done:  the  sides  are  made  perfectly  smooth, 
and  every  chip  and  particle  of  sawdust  taken 
out  of  the  tube.  But  these  chips  are  not  thrown 
away,  for  the  little  carpenter  has  further  use  for 
them  ;  and  she  therefore  piles  them  up  in  a  heap 
at  a  short  distance  from  her  nest.  The  long 


LIFE    IN    THE    INSECT    WORLD.  177 

tube  which  she  has  bored  is  now  to  be  divided 
into  cells,  as  it  is  necessary  that  each  of  the 
young  grubs  should  be  entirely  separated  from 
the  others.  In  the  bottom  of  the  hole,  or  nest, 
as  we  may  now  call  it,  she  lays  an  egg,  which 
she  covers  to  the  depth  of  nearly  an  inch  with 
the  pollen  of  flowers  mixed  with  honey,  upon 
which  the  grubs  of  all  bees  appear  to  feed. 

Harriet.    I  suppose  this  is  intended  as  food  for 
the  young  one,  when  it  is  hatched  from  the  egg. 

Jlunt  M.  Yes ;  and  although  the  mother 
has  never  before  seen  a  nest  made,  and  cannot, 
of  course,  remember  the  one  in  which  she  was 
herself  reared,  nor  the  quantity  of  food  she  re- 
quired, she  knows  just  how  much  it  is  neces- 
sary to  provide  for  each  of  her  little  ones,  and 
furnishes  it  accordingly.  This  is  particularly 
important  in  her  case.  Many  insects  feed  their 
young  daily,  and  others  are  placed  in  situations 
where  they  can  obtain  a  sufficient  supply  for 
themselves.  But  the  grub  of  the  carpenter  bee 
is  completely  fastened  in  its  little  cell,  and  never 
leaves  it  until  it  has  passed  through  all  its 
changes  and  become  a  perfect  insect;  neither 
can  its  mother  have  access  to  it ;  so  that  if  it 
16 


178  LIFE    IN    THE    INSECT    WORLD. 

were  not  provided  with  a  sufficient  quantity  of 
food,  it  must  die  of  starvation.  But  she  has  re- 
ceived her  instructions  directly  from  her  kind 
Creator,  and  guided  by  the  wonderful  instinct 
which  he  has  bestowed  upon  her,  she  goes 
straight  forward  with  her  work,  apportions  the 
proper  quantity  of  food  for  each  little  individual, 
and  it  is  exactly  enough. 

But.  I  have  not  yet  told  you  how  the  cells  are 
finished. 

After  the  bee  has  laid  the  first  egg,  and  co- 
vered it  with  pollen  mixed  with  honey,  she 
carries  a  parcel  of  her  chips  into  the  nest,  and 
glueing  them  together,  forms  a  ceiling  over  the 
first  cell,  which  also  serves  for  the  floor  of  the 
second.  Upon  this  she  lays  another  egg,  and 
covering  it  also  with  pollen  paste,  ceils  it  in  the 
same  manner ;  then  a  third,  and  so  on.  When  the 
nest  is  finished,  it  contains  from  ten  to  twelve 
cells,  the  upper  one  being  covered  like  the  rest. 

Harriet.  But  I  do  not  see  how  the  young 
bees  are  ever  to  get  out,  if  they  are  so  complete- 
ly fastened  in. 

Jlunt  M.  The  mother  has  provided  against 
this  difficulty.  The  young,  as  I  have  told  you, 
do  riot  attempt  to  escape  until  they  have  be- 


LIFE    IN    THE    INSECT    WORLD.  179 

come  perfect  insects.  But,  even  then,  their 
teeth  would  not  be  strong  enough  to  cut 
through  the  hard  wood,  although  they  can 
readily  make  their  way  through  the  thin  par- 
titions which  separate  the  cells.  The  mother 
therefore  bores  a  hole  from  the  inside  of  the 
lower  ceil  to  the  outside  of  the  post,  and  another 
of  the  same  kind  from  the  middle  cell,  and 
through  these  the  young  ones  make  their  escape. 

Another  species,  called  the  Mason  bee,  makes 
its  nest  of  clay  or  earth,  and  the  patient  little  la- 
borer is  sometimes  obliged  to  carry  its  materials 
a  considerable  distance,  conveying  them  in  its 
mouth  by  small  particles.  When  the  nest  is 
finished,  it  consists  of  several  cells  about  the 
size  of  a  thimble.  Each  of  these  contains  an. 
egg,  and  a  supply  of  pollen,  mixed  with  honey. 

Another  of  these  solitary  bees  has  been  called 
the  Upholsterer  bee,  because  it  lines  its  nest 
with  the  green  leaves  of  plants,  or  the  colored 
leaves  (which  botanists  call  the  petals)  of 
flowers. 

One  of  these  makes  choice  of  the  scarlet  leaves 
or  petals  of  the  poppy.  She  forms  a  hole  in  the 
ground,  three  or  four  inches  in  depth,  and  larger 
at  the  bottom  than  the  top,  the  inside  being  made 


ISO  LIFE    IN    THE    INSECT    WORLD. 

perfectly  smooth.  Then  flying  to  the  poppy, 
she  cuts  out  a  piece  of  leaf  with  her  mandibles, 
and  carrying  it  to  her  nest,  spreads  it  smoothly 
over  the  bottom.  If  it  happen  to  be  rather 
large,  or  do  not  fit  exactly,  she  clips  off  the 
edges,  and  throws  away  the  parings.  After 
covering  the  bottom  with  three  layers  of  these 
leaves,  she  cuts  out  other  pieces,  with  which 
she  lines  the  sides,  extending  them  beyond  the 
entrance.  She  then  fills  the  bottom  of  it  with 
moistened  pollen  to  the  depth  of  about  half  an 
inch.  In  this  she  lays  one  egg,  and  carefully 
folding  over  it  the  poppy  leaves  from  above,  she 
fills  the  top  of  the  nest  with  earth,  which  effec- 
tually conceals  it  from  observation. 

Another  of  these  little  Upholsterers,  sometimes 
called  the  rose-leaf  cutter,  displays  still  more  in- 
genuity in  the  construction  of  her  nest.  She 
makes  a  hole  from  six  to  ten  inches  in  depth,  and 
cutting  out  pieces  of  leaf  exactly  suited  to  her 
purpose,  forms  them  into  cells  about  the  size 
and  shape  of  a  thimble,  which  she  places  one 
within  the  other,  as  you  have  sometimes  seen  a 
row  of  thimbles  in  the  show-case  of  a  jeweller's 
shop. 


LIFE    IN    THE    INSECT    WORLD.  181 

I  wU  try  to  make  you  understand  how  this 
is  done. 

She  generally  chooses  the  green  leaves  of  the 
rose  bush,  although  she  sometimes  makes  use 
of  those  of  other  plants.  Each  of  the  cells  is 
composed  of  from  nine  to  twelve  pieces  of  leaf, 
and  when  the  bottom  one,  which  is,  of  course, 
formed  first,  is  finished,  she  puts  into  it  a  quan- 
tity of  pollen  paste,  in  which  she  deposits  an 
egg,  and  covers  it  with  three  layers  of  leaves, 
each  of  which  is  cut  perfectly  round,  and  exact- 
ly fitted  into  the  thimble.  Another  cell  is  then 
made  and  fitted  into  the  first,  as  I  have  described 
to  you.  This  being  also  supplied  with  pollen, 
and  covered  with  leaves,  a  third  is  placed  with- 
in it,  arid  so  on  until  the  nest  is  completed. 

I  remember  having  read  a  story  of  a  supersti- 
tious French  gardener,  who,  having  accidentally 
dug  up  one  of  these  nests,  thought  it  so  wonder- 
ful an  affair  that  it  must  certainly  be  the  work 
of  a  magician,  who  had  placed  it  there  with  a 
a  design  to  injure  him*  He  accordingly  sent  it 
to  his  master  in  Paris,  with  the  request  that  he 
would  take  measures  to  have  the  evil  spirit 
driven  out  of  the  place.  The  master  carried  it 
16* 


182  LIFE    IN    THE    INSECT    WORLD. 

to  the  priest,  who,  it  appears,  was  a  better  na- 
turalist than  either  of  them ;  for  he  soon  dis- 
covered it  to  be  only  the  nest  of  an  innocent 
little  insect,  which  had  been  merely  exerting 
the  powers  bestowed  upon  it  by  its  Creator  to 
make  provision  for  the  wants  of  its  young. 

I  have  now  told  you  a  long  story  about  bees, 
but  I  hope  I  have  not  tired  you. 

Anna.    I  am  sure  we  are  not  at  all  tired. 

Aunt  M.  There  is  another  class  of  little 
mechanics  about  which  I  think  I  must  tell  you 
next.  I  mean  the  Wasps. 

Anna.  Oh,  it  makes  me  shudder  to  hear  the 
name  of  wasp — I  was  so  dreadfully  stung  by 
one  once,  when  I  was  trying  to  knock  it  off  the 
window. 

Rene£.  And  it  stung  you  to  defend  itself. 
It  did  not  know  what  harm  you  meant  to  do 
it. 

Aunt  M.  Their  sting  is  very  painful,  but 
they  are  ingenious  little  creatures,  and  we  will 
see  if  we  cannot  find  something  to  interest  us, 
even  in  them. 


IXSIDE    OF    A    WASr's    NEST. 

aa^a  a,  the  walls,  b,  c  c,  five  small  platforms  of  cells  for  the 
workers,  d  d,  e  c,  three  rows  of  larger  cells  for  the  males  and 
females. 


LIFE    IN    THE    INSECT    WORLD.  185 


EVENING  SEVENTEENTH. 


WASPS. 

Jlunt  M.  The  families  of  wasps,  like  those 
of  humble  bees,  are  completely  broken  up  at  the 
close  of  autumn;  and  of  the  many  hundreds  which 
usually  inhabit  one  nest,  only  ten  or  a  dozen 
of  the  females  live  through  the  winter.  All  the 
rest  die,  and  the  few  which  remain  are  so  be- 
numbed with  cold  that  they  are  in  a  torpid 
state,  until  the  warmth  of  spring  imparts  to 
them  new  life  and  energy.  They  then  leave 
the  old  nest,  and  separate  from  each  other  for 
ever;  for  each  has  now  her  particular  duty  to 
perform,  entirely  independent  of  the  others. 

Let  us  follow  one  of  these  female  wasps,  and 
see  what  she  is  about.  Her  winter  sleep  is  now 


186  LIFE    IN    THE    INSECT    WORLD. 

fairly  over,  and  she  is  as  lively  and  active  as 
ever.  She  is  anxiously  looking  about  for  a 
suitable  place  for  her  nest.  She  seems  to  have 
decided  upon  one  now  ;  she  has  carefully  ex- 
amined the  ground  all  over ;  and  we  may  al- 
most fancy  that  we  can  see  her  nod  her  head, 
and  hear  her  say,  with  a  self-satisfied  air,  "Yes, 
this  will  do.  Here  I  will  dig  out  a  fine  long 
gallery,  and  have  a  large  chamber  at  the  end  of 
it ;  and  then  I  will  build  my  snug  nest,  and  soon 
have  a  nice  little  family  around  me." 

But  there  is  no  time  to  be  lost,  and  she  goes 
immediately  to  work  to  carry  out  the  plan.  She 
digs  the  long  passage,  which  is  about  an  inch 
in  width  and  two  feet  in  depth,  with  wonderful 
ease  and  rapidity,  throwing  the  earth  out  of  her 
way  as  she  proceeds. 

But  this  is  only  the  beginning  of  her  labor;  for 
at  the  end  of  the  passage  she  must  scoop  out 
earth  enough  to  make  a  hole  from  one  to  two 
feet  in  diameter,  for  the  accommodation  of  her 
nest.  This  is  a  great  labor,  but  she  does  not 
appear  to  be  at  all  discouraged.  She  and  her 
little  ones  must  be  provided  with  a  home,  and 
her  exertions  must  obtain  it  for  them.  She  con- 


LIFE    IN    THE    INSECT    WORLD.  187 

tinues  diligently  at  her  work  for  several  days, 
scarcely  allowing  herself  time  either  to  eat  or  to 
rest.  At  length  this  part  of  her  labor  is  com- 
pleted; her  gallery  is  dug,  and  her  room  is 
made  ;  and  now  the  nest  is  to  be  formed.  This 
is  made  of  paper;  a  paper  which  the  wasp 
makes  herself,  for  her  ancestors  were  paper 
makers  long  before  ours  knew  any  thing  about 
the  art. 

Harriet.  Did  not  people  write  upon  bark 
before  the  invention  of  paper  ? 

Aunt  M.  Yes ;  some  made  use  of  the  bark 
of  trees,  the  leaves  of  plants,  or  the  skins  of  ani- 
mals prepared  in  a  rough  manner ;  and  others, 
more  advanced  in  civilization,  wrote  upon  wax 
with  a  pointed  instrument  made  of  steel  or  sil- 
ver, which  they  called  a  style  or  stylus.  But 
their  more  important  records  were  made  upon 
stone,  brass,  lead,  and  wood.  They  wrote  but 
little,  however,  and  it  was  with  difficulty  that 
they  were  able  to  write  at  all. 

It  was  at  length  ascertained  that  the  leaves  of 
the  papyrus,  a  beautiful  Egyptian  plant,  when 
dried,  pressed,  and  polished,  would  answer  the 
purpose  better,  and  they  were  soon  very  exlen- 


188  LIFE    IN    THE    INSECT    WORLD. 

sively  used,  although  they  were  almost  too 
brittle  to  be  written  upon  with  freedom. 

After  several  thousand  years,  during  which 
these  various  substances  were  used,  and  men 
had  been  exercising  their  ingenuity  in  attempt- 
ing to  manufacture  a  more  suitable  material, 
they  discovered  that  cotton  and  linen  rags,  and 
some  other  vegetable  substances,  when  ground, 
made  into  a  pulp,  spread  out  to  dry,  and  sized 
with  glue,  would  make  a  firm,  good  paper, 
upon  which  they  could  write  with  ease. 

Reneb.  Is  this  the  way  in  which  our  paper 
is  made  ? 

Jlunt  M.  Yes ;  and  the  wasp  had  been 
making  it  upon  very  much  the  same  plan  ever 
since  her  creation,  although  man  had  never  un- 
derstood it  before. 

Harriet.  But,  Aunt  Mary,  how  does  the 
wasp  make  paper  ? 

•Aunt  M.  We  will  go  back  to  our  little 
friend  the  wasp,  whom  we  left  awhile  ago,  just 
as  she  had  completed  her  under-ground  cham- 
ber, and  see  how  she  makes  the  paper  of  which 
she  is  now  about  to  form  her  nest. 

She  has  alighted  upon  an  old  wooden  post, 


LIFE    IN    THE    INSECT    WORLD.  189 

and  after  mashing  the  wood  with  her  mandi- 
bles, she  tears  off  a  quantity  of  fine  strips 
which  she  makes  into  a  bundle  with  her  feet, 
and  carries  to  her  nest.  We  will  follow  her 
there  too,  and  see  what  she  intends  to  do  with 
this  little  bundle  of  wood.  She  has  now  soften- 
ed it  with  a  gummy  fluid  from  her  mouth,  and 
kneaded  it  into  a  paste.  This  done,  she  walks 
backward  and  forward  over  it,  and  spreads  it 
out  into  an  even  sheet,  thinner  than  our  letter 
paper,  but  equally  strong  and  firm. 

Renei.     And  this  is  the  wasp's  paper,  is  it  ? 

Jlunt  M.  Yes,  and  it  is  a  very  good  paper, 
too. 

Harriet.  But  it  cannot  be  white  if  it  is  made 
of  old  wood. 

Jlunt  M.  No  ;  it  is  generally  of  a  bluish 
gray  color ;  but  it  serves  the  purposes  of  the 
wasp  as  well  as  if  it  were  white. 

JRenet.  I  did  not  know  that  paper  could  be 
made  of  any  thing  except  linen  and  cotton. 

Jlunt  M.  Some  of  our  coarse  paper  is  made 
of  old  rope,  and  some  of  straw.  Other  vegetable 
substances  may  also  be  manufactured  into  paper, 
but  linen  and  cotton  are  preferred. 

17 


190  LIFE    IN    THE    INSECT    WORLD. 

When  the  wasp  has  thus  made  one  of  her 
sheets  of  paper,  she  begins  to  form  her  nest. 
She  commences  at  the  ceiling,  and  goes  on  add- 
ing sheet  after  sheet,  until  her  roof  is  composed 
of  fifteen  or  sixteen  layers  of  paper,  and  is  near- 
ly two  inches  in  thickness. 

Reneb.  I  thought  the  wasp's  paper  was  thin- 
ner than  ours ;  but  I  am  sure  a  whole  quire  of 
letter  paper  would  not  make  a  wall  half  an  inch 
thick. 

•fliunt  M.  The  wasp  does  not  lay  her  sheets 
one  upon  the  other,  as  they  are  placed  in  a  quire 
of  letter  paper,  but  contrives  to  fasten  them  to- 
gether so  as  to  leave  small  spaces  between  each 
of  the  sheets;  as,  by  this  means,  the  inside  of  her 
nest  is  more  effectually  protected  from  moisture. 
When  she  has  finished  the  roof,  she  makes  a 
platform,  or  floor,  at  a  little  distance  below  it, 
which  she  attaches  to  the  ceiling  by  beautifully 
formed  pillars,  also  made  of  paper.  Upon  this 
floor  she  forms  a  large  number  of  little  six-sided 
cells,  very  much  like  those  in  a  bee-hive,  only 
that  they  are  made  of  paper  instead  of  wax. 
But  these  cells  are  not  intended  to  contain  ho- 
ney, (for  the  wasp,  although  fond  of  honey, 


LIFE    IN    THE    INSECT    WORLD.  191 

does  not  store  it  up  in  her  nest,)  but  as  nurse- 
ries for  the  young  grubs.  Her  nest  is  not  yet 
finished,  but  when  it  is  thus  far  completed,  she 
deposits  a  number  of  eggs  in  the  little  cells,  and 
soon  has  the  satisfaction  of  seeing  the  young 
ones  for  whom  she  has  taken  all  this  care  and 
trouble.  Her  whole  attention  is  now  devoted 
to  them ;  she  puts  her  head  first  into  one  little 
cell,  and  then  into  another,  to  see  how  they  are 
getting  along,  and  to  supply  them  with  food.  She 
waits  upon  them  with  the  most  untiring  pa- 
tience ;  watches  over  them  with  a  mother's 
anxiety  and  love  ;  and  cannot  be  induced  to 
desert  them.  Even  if  her  nest  should  be  dug 
up,  exposed  to  the  light,  and  cut  in  pieces,  she 
would  remain  by  the  young  ones,  apparently 
regardless  of  her  own  life  in  her  anxiety  to 
prolong  theirs. 

In  a  few  weeks  after  they  are  hatched,  the 
young  are  able  to  assist  their  mother,  and 
the  parent  and  children  then  labor  together  to 
complete  the  building  of  the  nest.  They  form 
side  walls  of  the  same  thickness  as  the  roof,  and 
add  twelve  or  thirteen  floors  or  stories  similar 
to  the  first ;  each  attached  to  the  other  by  pillars, 


192  LIFE    IN    THE    INSECT    WORLD. 

and  each  completely  covered  with  cells.  When 
the  nest  is  finished,  it  is  about  a  foot  in  diame- 
ter, and  contains  upwards  of  fifteen  thousand 
cells. 

Harriet.  What  do  they  want  with  so  many 
cells,  if  none  of  them  are  used  for  honey  ? 

Aunt  M.  They  require  them  for  the  accom- 
modation of  the  young  ;  for  the  old  wasp  is  not, 
like  the  queen  of  the  hive  bees,  the  mother  of 
the  whole  family.  As  the  young  ones  grow 
older,  they  also  deposit  eggs ;  so  that  she  has 
not  only  her  children,  but  her  grand-children, 
around  her,  and  this  makes  a  very  large  family. 

The  male  wasps  are  not  an  idle  race,  like  the 
drones  of  the  hive  bees.  They  do  not  procure 
building  materials,  nor  aid  in  nursing,  but  they 
assist  in  carrying  burdens,  and  attend  to  keeping 
the  nest  clean,  clearing  out  any  dirt  or  rubbish 
which  may  happen  to  get  into  the  cells ;  and  as 
they  make  themselves  useful  in  the  family,  they 
appear  to  be  treated  with  as  much  kindness 
as  the  rest,  instead  of  being  killed  like  the 
drones. 

Mary.     Aunt  Mary,  what  do  wasps  eat  ? 


LIFE    IN    THE    INSECT    WORLD.  193 

J2unt  M.  They  live  upon  honey,  the  juices 
of  flowers  and  fruits,  as  well  as  flies,  caterpillars, 
and  some  other  insects.  If  a  wasp  attempt  to 
carry  home  a  load,  and  find  it  too  heavy,  and 
none  of  its  companions  are  at  hand  to  assist  it, 
it  will  stop,  divide  its  burden,  and  return  for  the 
remaining  half.  Dr.  Darwin  tells  a  story  of  a 
wasp  which  was  attempting  to  carry  off  a  fly 
it  had  found  on  a  gravel  walk.  The  wind  was 
blowing,  and  the  wings  of  the  fly  fluttered  so 
much  that  the  wasp  was  frequently  whirled 
aside,  and  found  it  very  difficult  to  fly ;  so  it 
descended  to  the  ground,  and  clipping  off  both 
the  wings  of  the  fly,  it  carried  off  its  body  with 
ease. 

Some  kinds  of  wasps  suspend  their  nests  from 
the  branches  of  trees,  and  some  cover  them 
with  a  sort  of  varnish  to  protect  them  from  the 
weather. 

Harriet.  Are  the  nests  of  hornets  just  like 
those  of  wasps  ? 

Jlunt  M.  The  nests  of  hornets  are  very 
similar  to  those  of  the  wasps,  except  that  the 
paper  of  which  they  are  made  is  coarser.  They 


17* 


194  LIFE    IN    THE    INSECT    WORLD. 

are  generally  found  in  trees,  or  under  the  eaves 
of  barns  and  out-houses.  Have  you  ever  seen 
one? 

Harriet.  Yes,  I  saw  one  once ;  but  I  did  not 
care  about  it  then,  and  did  not  notice  it  particu- 
larly. I  wish  I  could  see  it  now  ;  I  should  like 
to  examine  the  paper,  and  see  how  the  little  cells 
are  made. 

Jlunt  M.  One  species  of  wasp,  found  in 
Africa,  has  been  called  the  card-maker,  because 
the  paper  which  forms  the  outside  of  its  nest  is 
white  and  hard,  and  elegantly  polished  like  a 
card.  It  is  larger  at  the  bottom  than  the  top, 
and  the  rain  cannot  penetrate  it. 

Do  you  remember  what  I  told  you  last  even- 
ing about  the  carpenter  bee,  who  deposits  her 
eggs  in  a  hole  bored  in  wood,  and  separates 
them  by  partitions  made  of  the  chips  and  saw- 
dust she  has  scooped  out  ? 

Mary.     Oh,  yes,  we  remember  that. 

Jlunt  M.  The  nest  of  the  carpenter  wasp  is 
made  in  the  same  way,  only  that  the  work  is 
not  so  neatly  done ;  but  instead  of  supplying 
the  little  cells  with  a  quantity  of  honey,  as  is 


LIFE    IN    THE    INSECT    WORLD.  195 

done  by  the  mother  bee,  the  wasp  drops  into 
each  of  them  a  few  living  flies  and  gnats  as  pro- 
vision for  the  young  grubs. 

Jlnna.  Live  flies  and  gnats  !  What  strange 
food  !  I  should  think  pollen  was  a  great  deal 
better. 

•flunt  M.  I  suppose  flies  and  gnats  are"  bet- 
ter suited  to  them.  No  doubt  they  are  very 
nourishing.  The  wings,  however,  are  not  eaten ; 
and  when  the  grub  is  ready  to  go  into  its  pupa 
state,  it  weaves  them  into  its  cocoon. 

The  mason  wasp,  like  the  mason  bee,  makes 
its  nest  in  a  wall,  or  in  a  hard  bank  of  earth, 
and  stores  it  with  living  spiders  or  caterpillars, 
for  food  for  the  little  one  when  it  shall  be  hatch- 
ed from  the  egg. 

One  species  of  mason  wasp  makes  a  hole  in 
the  earth  about  two  inches  in  depth,  and  select- 
ing ten  or  a  dozen  caterpillars  of  a  particular 
kind,  it  twists  them  into  a  spiral  column,  and 
so  fastens  them  that  they  are  unable  to  alter 
their  position,  although  they  remain  alive.  The 
wasp  grub  devours  all  these  before  it  is  ready 
to  change  into  a  pupa.  Another  species  does  not 
give  the  grub  the  whole  of  its  food  at  once,  but 


196  LIFE    IN    THE    INSECT    WORLD. 

deposits  at  first  only  a  single  caterpillar,  and 
when  it  has  had  time  to  finish  that,  it  removes 
the  covering  of  the  nest  and  drops  in  another. 

The  evenings  are  now  so  short  that  I  think 
we  shall  not  be  able  to  continue  our  pleasant 
conversations  much  longer ;  at  least,  regularly. 
But  you  may  now  have  an  opportunity  of  ob- 
serving insects  for  yourselves,  for  I  see  they  are 
all  coming  out  of  their  hiding  places. 

Rene6.  Oh,  yes ;  I  saw  two  beautiful  little 
yellow  butterflies  yesterday,  and  I  have  seen 
several  fire-flies.  The  little  green  caterpillars 
are  on  the  rose  bushes,  and  yesterday  Harriet 
and  I  watched  them  fold  up  the  leaves  and 
draw  them  together,  just  as  you  told  us  they 
did.  How  we  were  delighted !  I  scarcely  ever 
go  into  the  garden  now  but  I  am  looking  about 
for  insects. 

Jlunt  M.  I  cannot  tell  you  how  it  pleases 
me  to  find  that  you  are  so  much  interested  in 
these  things.  Have  you  seen  any  spiders  ? 

Harriet.  I  saw  one  this  morning.  It  was  a 
little  fellow,  striped  with  grey  and  black.  It 
was  crawling  along  the  wall  when  I  first  saw 
it,  and  there  was  a  fly  on  the  pavement  below 


LIFE    IN    THE    INSECT    WORLD.  197 

it.  At  first  it  did  not  seem  to  notice  the  fly,  but 
presently  it  stopped,  looked  at  it,  and  then  drop- 
ped right  down  upon  it,  and  killed  it  in  a  mo- 
ment. I  felt  so  sorry  for  the  poor  thing  ! 

Aunt  M.  That  was  a  vagrant  spider.  They 
are  called  vagrants  because  they  have  no  settled 
home.  They  do  not  make  webs,  as  most  spiders 
do,  but  go  prowling  about,  seizing  their  prey 
wherever  they  chance  to  find  it. 

I  want  to  tell  you  something  about  spiders 
before  we  give  up  our  evening  conversations.  I 
told  you  they  were  not  insects,  although  they 
very  nearly  resemble  them ;  but  they  are  very 
curious  and  interesting,  and  you  ought  to  know 
something  about  them. 

Harriet.  I  am  sure  we  shall  be  very  glad  to 
spend  as  many  more  evenings  together  as  you 
please ;  but  I  am  afraid  we  shall  never  be  much 
interested  in  spiders,  they  are  so  ugly  and  dis- 
agreeable. 

Aunt  M.     We  shall  see. 


198  LIFE    IN    THE    INSECT    WORLD, 


EVENING  EIGHTEENTH. 


SPIDERS. 

Aunt  M.  Spiders  fall  so  constantly  under 
our  observation,  that  they  seem  to  invite  us  to 
an  examination  of  themselves  and  their  curious 
workmanship . 

We  can  scarcely  walk  in  the  fields,  or  go  into 
our  little  gardens  in  the  summer  time,  without 
seeing  the  different  kinds  of  spiders  weaving 
their  webs  or  watching  for  their  prey.  But, 
like  many  other  things  which  we  are  in  the 
habit  of  seeing  daily,  they  cease  to  appear  won- 
derful to  us,  merely  because  they  are  common  ; 
and  we  are  too  apt  either  to  pass  them  careless- 
ly by,  or  to  bestow  upon  them  a  most  unfavor- 
able notice,  knocking  down  the  web  which  has 


LIFE    IN    THE    INSECT    WORLD.  201 

been  constructed  with  so  much  care  and  toil, 
and  perhaps  at  the  same  time  crushing  the  little 
animal  that  made  it;  when  probably,  if  we  were 
inquired  of  why  we  did  so,  we  could  give  no 
other  answer  than  that  we  have  a  natural  an- 
tipathy to  spiders,  and  that  we  make  a  practice 
of  killing  them  whenever  they  happen  to  come 
in  our  way — a  most  unfeeling  and  cruel  prac- 
tice, truly. 

I  do  not  mean  to  say,  however,  that  we  are 
never  justifiable  in  destroying  the  habitations,  or 
even  the  lives,  of  insects.  When  they  become 
a  real  inconvenience  or  annoyance  to  us,  we 
have  the  power,  and,  I  believe,  we  have  the 
right,  to  do  so.  I  would  not  wish  my  chamber 
nor  my  parlor  to  be  a  nest  for  spiders,  cater- 
pillars, nor  bugs  ;  but  if,  for  instance,  my  little 
friend  the  spider  had,  with  the  best  possible  in- 
tention, and  without  an  idea  that  she  was  out 
of  her  place,  chosen  to  weave  a  snug  little  web 
for  herself  in  one  corner  of  my  room,  I  should 
certainly  take  the  liberty  of  brushing  it  down ; 
but  I  should,  at  the  same  time,  carefully  put  the 
little  animal  out  of  the  window,  to  go  in  search 


18 


LIFE    IN    THE    INSECT    WORLD. 

of  some  more  suitable  place  in  which  to  build 
her  habitation. 

I  have  said  that  we  have  a  right  to  destroy 
insects  when  they  are  a  real  annoyance  to  us ; 
but  it  is  a  right  which  should  be  exercised  very 
carefully  and  very  conscientiously. 

We  will  now  examine  a  little  into  the  pecu- 
liar habits  of  the  spider,  and  I  think  we  shall 
all  be  willing  to  acknowledge,  that  although  we 
have  not  been  accustomed  to  consider  it  hand- 
some, it  has  certainly  proved  an  interesting 
subject. 

In  the  lower  part  of  the  body  of  the  spider 
are  from  four  to  six  little  cells,  containing  the 
fluid  of  which  the  web  is  composed.  Corres- 
ponding to  these,  on  the  outside  of  the  body  are 
the  same  number  of  prominences,  called  spin- 
nerets, completely  covered  with  very  small 
tubes,communicating  with  the  cells.  The  animal 
has  the  power  of  throwing  the  threads  which 
form  the  web  from  any  or  all  of  these  tubes  at 
once ;  and  at  a  short  distance  from  its  body 
they  become  united  and  form  one  thread.  Up- 
wards of  a  thousand  tubes  have  been  counted 
upon  each  of  the  spinnerets  ;  so  that  when  the 


LIFE    IN    THE    INSECT    WORLD.  203 

spider  throws  its  threads  from  all  of  them  at 
once,  the  cord  is  composed  of  more  than  four 
thousand  strands.  These  separate  threads  are 
so  fine  that  they  cannot  be  seen  without  the  aid 
of  a  microscope ;  and  yet,  when  thus  united,  they 
are  strong  enough  to  bear  six  times  the  weight 
of  the  spider  that  spins  them.  This  is  a  won- 
derful arrangement  of  Providence.  The  spider 
requires  a  very  strong  web  for  its  purpose,  and 
you  probably  know  that  a  number  of  threads 
united  are  much  stronger  than  one  would  be  of 
the  same  thickness. 

The  feet  of  spiders  are  furnished  with  claws, 
which  serve  the  purpose  of  fingers ;  and  with 
these  they  can  readily  handle  and  arrange  their 
slender  threads  according  to  their  pleasure. 
Solomon  says:  "  The  spider  taketh  hold  with 
her  hands,  and  spreads  her  snare  in  kings'  pa- 
laces." 

You  know  the  webs  of  spiders  are  intended 
as  snares  in  which  to  entrap  their  prey,  and  the 
ingenuity  displayed  in  their  construction  is  really 
wonderful. 

Have  you  ever  observed  the  house  spider 
weaving  its  web  in  a.corner  of  the  room? 


204  LIFE    IN    THE    INSECT    WORLD. 

Renei.  I  was  very  much  interested  in  watch- 
ing one,  one  day  last  summer  ;  but  I  was  called 
away  before  it  had  spun  many  threads,  and  I 
have  never  happened  to  see  one  at  work  since. 

Aunt  M.  Can  you  tell  us  how  it  commenced, 
and  how  it  arranged  these  few  threads  ? 

Renek.  Yes,  I  can  ;  for  I  took  particular  no- 
tice of  it.  I  was  just  about  to  knock  the  spider 
down,  when,  as  I  stooped  to  strike  it,  I  saw  it 
press  the  lower  part  of  its  body  against  the  wall, 
and  then  walk  slowly  around  the  corner  to  the 
opposite  wall,  spinning  a  thread  as  it  went, 
which  it  seemed  to  be  guiding  with  one  of  its 
hind  feet,  for  it  held  it  out  all  the  time.  When 
it  reached  the  opposite  side,  it  gave  the  thread  a 
pull,  and  then  pressed  it  against  the  wall  and 
fastened  it.  It  then  walked  back  over  this 
thread,  and  spun  another,  which  it  fastened  to  the 
other  wall.  I  saw  it  walk  backward  and  forward 
until  it  had  spun  five  or  six  threads,  and  then  I 
was  called  away. 

Aunt  M.  When  the  spider  pressed  her  spin- 
nerets against  the  wall,  she  was  glueing  her  first 
thread ;  and,  as  she  walked,  she  held  it  off  with 
her  claw,  to  prevent  it  from  adhering  to  anything 


LIFE    IN    THE    INSECT    WORLD.  205 

until  it  reached  the  point  where  she  wished  to 
attach  it. 

Renee  has  given  a  good  description  of  the 
commencement  of  the  web.  The  spider  com- 
pletes it  by  spinning  a  multitude  of  threads  in 
various  directions,  until  she  has  formed  a  gauze- 
like  texture,  which  is  strong,  light,  and  elastic. 

One  species  makes  a  sly  little  nest  in  the  back 
part  of  the  web,  or  at  a  short  distance  from  it, 
into  which  she  may  retire  and  conceal  herself 
from  observation  while  waiting  for  her  prey. 
But  as  if  to  save  herself  the  trouble  of  watching 
constantly  at  the  entrance,  she  fastens  a  thread 
to  some  convenient  part  of  the  web,  and  carries 
the  other  end  with  her  into  the  nest ;  and  then 
woe  to  the  poor  fly  that  may  chance  to  become 
entangled  !  for  the  moment  it  finds  itself  fast,  it 
struggles  to  free  itself;  this  shakes  the  web,  and 
of  course  the  little  thread  which  the  spider  holds. 
She  feels  it,  darts  out,  binds  its  feet  together  with 
her  web,  and  sometimes  wraps  it  up  in  it  entire- 
ly, carries  it  into  her  nest,  and  devours  it  at  her 
leisure. 

It  may  appear  to  you  strange,  and  perhaps 
cruel,  that  insects  should  be  thus  directed  by 
18* 


206 


LIFE    IN    THE    INSECT    WORLD. 


their  instinct  to  destroy  each  other ;  but  this  is 
one  of  the  laws  by  which  the  Creator  has  been 
pleased  to  govern  the  world  that  he  has  made, 
and  we  cannot  doubt  that  it  is  benevolent  and 
wise.  We  see  it  in  action  throughout  the  whole 
creation.  The  larger  animals  serve  as  food  for 
man  ;  and,  throughout  the  world,  beasts,  birds, 
fishes,  and  insects  live  upon  each  other.  It  is 
absolutely  necessary  that  this  should  be  the  case. 
Insects,  particularly,  increase  so  rapidly  that,  if 
they  were  not  thus  destroyed,  they  would  eat 
up  all  our  vegetables,  fill  our  houses,  and  render 
our  existence  extremely  uncomfortable.  Pro- 
vidence has  therefore  taken  this  means  to  keep 
them  within  proper  bounds.  If  animals  did 
not  thus  live  upon  each  other,  there  would  not 
be  a  sufficient  supply  of  food  for  them,  and 
many  of  them  would  die  of  starvation. 

A  species  of  garden  spider,  which  weaves  a 
large,  beautiful,  wheel-shaped  web,  commences 
by  spinning  a  long  thread,  which  she  lets  float 
in  the  air.  Having  a  little  stickiness  about  it, 
it  soon  adheres  to  some  neighboring  bush  or 
fence ;  and  when  the  spider  finds,  by  touching 
it  with  her  feet,  (which,  for  this  purpose,  have 


LIFE    IN    THE    INSECT    WORLD.  207 

been  made  extremely  sensitive,)  that  it  is  thus 
attached,  it  spins  another  thread,  and  fastens  it 
to  the  first ;  then  another,  and  another,  and  so 
on,  until  a  rope  is  formed  strong  enough  to  bear 
the  net.     But,  in  trying  its  strength,  she  is  not 
satisfied  with  merely  pulling  at  it  with  her  feet, 
but  lowers  herself  by  it,  swinging  and  bobbing 
about  with  the  whole  weight  of  her  body.  After 
making  several  more  ropes  in  the  same  manner, 
for  a  frame  work,  she  commences  weaving  the 
net,  beginning  with   the  straight  lines,  which 
may  be  called  the  spokes  of  the  wheel.     After 
attaching  these  firmly  to  the  supporting  cords, 
and  stretching  them  so  as  to  make  them  as  tight 
as  possible,  she  pulls  each  one  with  her  claw  to 
ascertain  its    strength,  breaking  any  one  that 
may  prove  defective,  and  replacing  it  by  an- 
other.    When  this  is  done,  she  moves  rapidly 
round  and  round  the  net,  spinning  threads  at 
equal  distances  apart,  and  attaching  them  to  the 
spokes.      The  spider  usually  places  herself  in 
the  centre,  and  there  watches  for  any  fly  or  other 
insect  that  may  happen  to  fall  into  the  net. 
Sometimes  she  makes  a  nest  under  a  leaf,  or 
some  other  shelter,  into  which  she  retreats  on 


208  LIFE    IN    THE    INSECT    WORLD. 

the  approach  of  danger,  and  in  unfavorable 
weather. 

The  largest  and  most  beautiful  spider  of  this 
kind  I  ever  saw,  made  her  web  in  our  garden 
some  years  ago.  Her  body  was  as  large  as  a 
small  nutmeg,  and  beautifully  marked  with  yel- 
low and  black ;  and  her  legs  were  so  long,  that 
when  standing,  they  covered  a  space  of  three 
inches  in  diameter. 

The  web  was  unusually  large,  and  very 
beautifully  and  regularly  formed.  As  the  spi- 
der sat  in  the  centre,  watching  for  her  prey,  my 
brothers  occasionally  threw  a  grasshopper  into 
the  net,  which  she  eagerly  seized,  and  holding  it 
firmly  with  her  forefeet,  threw  out  a  web,  which, 
as  it  issued  from  her  body,  looked  like  a  silken 
band  about  an  eighth  of  an  inch  in  width  ;  with 
this  she  quickly  stopped  the  struggles  of  her 
prisoner,  wrapping  him  up  in  it  entirely. 

Our  spider  was  considered  so  great  a  curiosity 
that  she  had  many  visitors,  some  of  whom  put 
her  disposition  to  a  severe  trial  by  poking  at  her 
with  a  stick;  when  she  would  make  a  sudden 
spring  towards  them,  and  manifest  her  displea- 
sure by  the  violent  shaking  of  her  web. 


LIFE    IN    THE    INSECT    WORLD,  209 

She  remained  with  us  about  six  weeks,  when 
she  suddenly  disappeared ;  but  after  an  absence 
often  or  twelve  days  returned,  and  stayed  seve- 
ral weeks  longer,  when  she  again  departed. 
Whether  the  poor  creature  was  killed  in  her 
rambles,  or  whether  she  had  become  tired  of  her 
old  home,  and  went  to  seek  a  more  desirable 
situation  for  a  new  one,  I  cannot  tell,  but  we 
never  saw  her  afterward. 

A  friend  of  mine,  anxious  to  try  the  ingenuity 
of  the  spider,  stood  a  wine  glass  in  a  basin  filled 
with  water,  and  placed  a  spider  on  the  top  of 
the  glass.  It  immediately  ran  down  the  side  of 
it,  but  finding  water  at  the  bottom,  was  obliged 
to  return  to  the  top.  It  then  ran  round  the 
glass,  and  went  down  on  the  other  side ;  still 
there  was  nothing  but  a  watery  ditch.  In  this 
way  it  tried  every  side,  and  finding  it  impossible 
to  escape,  paused  a  moment  on  the  top,  as  if 
deliberating  what  it  should  do  next.  Suddenly 
a  bright  thought  seemed  to  strike  it:  it  turned 
round  and  threw  out  a  long  thread,  which, 
after  floating  a  moment  in  the  air,  settled  on  the 
edge  of  the  basin.  The  spider  touched  it  in  its 
usual  way  to  satisfy  itself  that  it  was  securely 


210  LIFE    IN    THE    INSECT    WORLD. 

fastened,  and  finding  that  it  was  so,  attached 
the  other  end  to  the  edge  of  the  glass,  and  start- 
ing off  very  carefully  on  this  slender  bridge  of 
its  own  construction,  it  reached  the  edge  of  the 
basin  in  safety. 

It  is  said  that  when  spiders  become  very  old, 
and  the  fluid  of  which  their  web  is  composed  is 
entirely  dried  up,  so  that  they  cannot  spin,  they 
will  go  to  the  habitation  of  some  young  spider, 
take  possession  of  its  web,  and  drive  it  off  to 
weave  another. 

Harriet.  I  wonder  whether  the  young  spi- 
der is  so  respectful  as  to  give  up  its  web  to  the 
old  one  without  fighting  for  it. 

Aunt  M.  It  is  said  they  seldom  quarrel  in 
such  cases;  but  whether  this  submission  on  the 
part  of  the  young  spider  arises  from  respect  or 
from  fear,  it  would  be  difficult  to  say ;  though  I 
rather  suspect  it  is  a  little  afraid  of  the  sharp 
claws  and  pincers  of  its  venerable  friend.  But 
perhaps  I  am  doing  it  injustice.  It  is  too  late 
for  us  to  talk  longer  now ;  but  I  want  to  tell 
you  something  more  about  spiders,  and  if  you 
are  not  tired  of  the  "disagreeable  creatures,"  as 


LIFE    IN    THE    INSECT    WORLD.  211 

Harriet  calls  them,  we  will  continue  the  subject 
to-morrow  evening. 

Harriet.  They  are  not  so  very  disagreeable 
for  all,  and  I  am  not  at  all  tired  of  hearing  of 
them. 

Jlunt  M.  Very  well,  we  will  talk  a  little 
more  about  them  to-morrow. 


212  LIFE    IN    THE    INSECT    WORLD. 


EVENING  NINETEENTH. 


SPIDERS. 

•ftunt  M.  I  am  inclined  to  look  upon  spiders 
as  an  abused  race.  They  spread  their  nets  be- 
fore our  eyes,  so  that  we  have  constant  oppor- 
tunities of  seeing  them  destroy  their  prey,  and  it 
is  probably  on  this  account  that  we  have  been 
accustomed  to  consider  them  particularly  blood- 
thirsty and  cruel.  But  we  should  remember 
that  they  are  induced  to  destroy  the  harmless  fly 
that  becomes  entangled  in  their  snare,  not  from 
feelings  of  cruelty  nor  revenge,  but  from  a  natu- 
ral desire  to  satisfy  the  cravings  of  their  appe- 
tite. 

There  is  a  bright  side  to  their  character,  too ; 
for  in  them,  also,  the  Creator  has  implanted  that 


LIFE    IN    THE    INSECT    WORLD.  213 

strong  maternal  attachment  which  would  in- 
cline them  to  make  almost  any  sacrifice  to  se- 
cure the  safety  and  welfare  of  their  young. 

There  is  a  spider,  usually  found  under  clods 
of  earth,  which  may  readily  be  distinguished  by 
a  white  silken  bag,  about  the  size  of  a  pea,  at- 
tached to  the  extremity  of  her  body,  which  con- 
tains her  eggs.  Although  it  appears  a  consider- 
able weight  to  her,  she  carries  it  with  her  every 
where.  If  you  take  it  from  her,  she  makes  the 
strongest  efforts  for  its  recovery,  and  no  personal 
danger  can  force  her  to  quit  the  precious  load. 
If  she  cannot  succeed  in  recovering  her  bag,  she 
appears  almost  frantic  with  distress  ;  and  if  she 
again  obtain  possession  of  it,  she  evinces  great  de- 
light, eagerly  seizing  it,  and,  with  the  utmost 
rapidity,  running  with  it  to  a  place  of  safety. 

Bonnet,  a  distinguished  entomologist,  anxious 
to  prove  the  strength  of  this  spider's  affection, 
threw  one  of  them,  with  her  bag,  into  the  ca- 
vern of  an  Ant  Lion,  a  very  ferocious  insect, 
which  conceals  itself  in  the  bottom  of  a  hole 
made  in  the  sand,  for  the  purpose  of  catching 
any  insect  which  may  happen  to  fall  into  it. 
The  spider  endeavored  to  run  away,  but  was 

19 


214  LIFE    IN    THE    INSECT    WORLD. 

not  sufficiently  active  to  prevent  the  ant  lion 
from  seizing  her  bag  of  eggs,  which  it  attempted 
to  pull  under  the  sand.  She  made  the  most 
violent  efforts  to  drag  herself  away,  struggling 
with  all  her  might.  The  glutinous  substance, 
however,  which  fastened  the  bag  to  her  body, 
at  length  gave  way,  and  it  was  separated  from 
her ;  but  she  instantly  caught  it  with  her  jaws, 
and  increased  her  efforts  to  drag  it  from  her 
enemy.  It  was  in  vain, — the  ant-lion  was  the 
stronger  of  the  two ;  and,  in  spite  of  all  her  ef- 
forts to  retain  it,  dragged  the  precious  load  under 
the  sand.  Had  the  unfortunate  mother  been 
willing  to  leave  her  bag  behind  her,  she  might 
readily  have  made  her  own  escape  from  the  pit. 
But  this  was  not  to  be  thought  of  for  a  moment, 
and  she  even  preferred  being  buried  alive  to 
parting  with  her  precious  treasure.  It  was  only 
by  force  that  Bonnet  at  length  drew  her  out  of 
the  pit,  but  the  bag  of  eggs  remained  with  the 
ant-lion;  and  although  he  pushed  her  repeatedly 
with  a  twig,  she  still  persisted  in  continuing  on 
the  spot,  seeming  as  though  she  had  nothing  left 
to  live  nor  care  for. 

Harriet.     What  a  pity  the  gentleman  could 


LIFE    IN    THE    INSECT    WORLD.  215 

not  get  the  bag  of  eggs  from  the  ant-lion  !  I  do 
not  see  how  people  can  bear  to  try  such  experi- 
ments. The  poor  spider ! 

Mary.  If  I  had  been  there  I  would  have 
killed  the  wicked  ant-lion. 

Jiunt  M.  That  would  have  been  wrong. 
The  ant-lion  was  only  taking  its  natural  food, 
just  as  a  spider  would  catch  a  fly,  or  a  man  kill 
an  ox. 

The  attachment  of  this  affectionate  mother  is 
not  confined  to  her  eggs.  After  the  young  spi- 
ders are  hatched,  they  make  their  way  out  of 
the  bag,  by  an  opening  which  she  is  careful  to 
make  for  them,  and  attach  themselves  in  clusters 
to  her  back,  head,  and  legs;  and  in  this  situation, 
where  they  present  a  very  singular  appearance, 
she  carries  them  about  with  her,  and  feeds  them 
until  they  are  old  enough  to  provide  for  them- 
selves. 

If  you  touch  the  mother,  thus  covered  by 
hundreds  of  her  young  ones,  it  is  most  amusing 
to  see  them  leap  from  her,  and  run  away  in 
every  direction. 

Many  spiders  live  in  the  water,  and  feed  upon 
the  insects  which  frequent  it.  One  of  these  makes 


216  LIFE    IN    THE    INSECT    WORLD. 

a  silken  cell,  about  half  the  size  of  a  pigeon's 
egg,  the  lower  end  being  open.  This  it  attaches 
with  its  web  ropes  to  the  surrounding  plants, 
and  hangs  in  it  ready  to  dart  upon  its  prey. 

Another  floats  out,  like  a  little  sailor,  upon  a 
ball  of  weeds,  and  when  it  succeeds  in  catching 
an  insect,  it  lifts  it  up  upon  its  raft  and  devours 
it  as  it  floats  along. 

There  is  a  curious  spider  found  in  the  south 
of  France,  and  some  other  places,  which  is  some- 
times called  the  trap-door  spider.  It  hollows  out 
a  den  in  the  earth,  generally  about  an  inch  in 
width,  and  from  one  to  two  feet  in  depth.  The 
inside  of  this  it  first  covers  with  a  kind  of  mor- 
tar, and  then,  as  if  it  meant  to  paper  its  walls, 
hangs  all  over  them  a  beautiful  silken  web, 
which  is  said  to  be  smooth  as  satin,  and  of 
dazzling  whiteness.  But  the  most  curious  part 
of  it  is  a  trap  door  over  the  entrance,  which  it 
perfectly  covers.  This  door  is  made  of  different 
layers  of  web  and  earth,  and  covered  with  dried 
leaves  closely  matted  together,  and  is  so  hung 
at  the  upper  part  as  to  admit  of  being  raised 
when  the  animal  passes  in  or  out,  after  which  it 
immediately  falls  into  its  place.  The  edges  are 


LIFE    IN    THE    INSECT    WORLD.  217 

curiously  fringed  with  a  net- work,  which  con- 
ceals the  opening,  and  renders  it  less  liable  to 
be  discovered.  Along  the  edge  of  this  door,  on 
the  inside,  are  a  number  of  little  holes,  which 
are  used  by  the  animal  for  holding  it  down 
with  its  claws  when  it  is  attacked  by  an  enemy. 

The  spiders  of  our  country  are  generally 
small  and  harmless,  but  some  of  those  which 
are  found  in  warmer  climates  are  large  enough 
to  cover  a  man's  hand,  having  legs  as  thick  as 
a  wheat  straw,  and  their  bite  is  considered  dan- 
gerous. The  largest  of  these  enormous  spi- 
ders, or  Tarantulas,  as  they  are  called,  are 
found  in  South  America.  They  are  covered 
with  soft  brown  hair ;  their  feet  are  furnished 
with  claws ;  and  they  have  two  black  teeth, 
which  are  so  hard,  glossy,  and  sharp  that  they 
are  sometimes  set  in  gold  and  silver  cases,  and 
used  as  tooth-picks.  These  spiders  are  in  the 
habit  of  destroying  small  birds,  darting  upon 
them  as  a  cat  would  spring  upon  a  mouse. 

My  brother,   who,   you    know,  spent    two 

months  in  Chili,  kept  two  of  these  enormous 

creatures  for  pets.      Odd  pets,  you  will  think, 

but  you  know  he  makes  pets  of  every  thing, 

19* 


218  LIFE    IN    THE    INSECT    WORLD. 

even  of  snakes  and  lizards,  and  has  a  way  of 
handling  them  so  tenderly  that  he  soon  tames 
them,  and  they  even  appear  attached  to  him. 
He  kept  the  spiders  some  weeks,  tied  by  the  leg 
with  a  string  attached  to  a  nail  driven  in  the 
wall  of  his  chamber.  At  first  they  were  exceed- 
ingly fierce,  spreading  out  their  arms,  as  their 
two  fore  legs  are  generally  called,  and  showing 
their  terrific  teeth  whenever  he  approached 
them.  In  a  few  days,  however,  they  became 
so  tame  as  to  crawl  over  his  hand  without 
manifesting  any  symptoms  of  anger,  and  to  eat 
freely  and  without  fear  such  food  as  he  provided 
for  them.  He  frequently  gave  them  pieces  of 
raw  beef,  which  they  devoured  with  great  relish. 
One  day  a  humming  bird  was  carried  into  the 
room,  and  being  brought  within  leaping  dis- 
tance of  the  spiders,  they  both  sprang  upon  it 
instantly,  took  it  by  force  from  the  hands  of  the 
person  who  held  it,  swung  back  with  it  to  the 
wall,  and  darted  their  deadly  fangs  into  its 
beautiful  throat.  In  five  or  six  minutes  it  was 
dead,  and  in  a  few  hours  nothing  of  the  poor 
humming  bird  remained  but  its  bones  and  fea- 
thers. All  the  soft  parts  were  consumed. 


LIFE    IN    THE    INSECT    WORLD.  219 

The  Chilians  have  a  great  horror  of  this  spi- 
der, and  for  some  time  after  my  brother's  pets 
were  taken  into  his  chamber,  not  a  native  could 
be  prevailed  upon  to  enter  it,  and  he  was  obliged 
to  do  his  own  chamber  work. 

They  were  at  length  killed  by  a  new  Spanish 
servant,  who  went  into  his  room  during  his  ab- 
sence to  clean  and  put  it  in  order.  Seeing  the 
venomous  creatures  resting  on  the  wall,  and 
naturally  supposing  them  to  be  intruders,  he 
put  an  end  to  them  with  his  sweeping  brush. 

Renei.  I  wish  I  could  see  one  of  these  mon- 
strous spiders. 

•Aunt  M.  I  can  show  you  a  picture  of  one 
which  has  been  kindly  drawn  for  me  by  a  friend 
of  my  brother's  from  a  spider  now  in  his  pos- 
session. It  must  be  a  small  one,  however ;  as 
some  of  them  are  said  to  be  three  inches  in 
length,  one  inch  arid  a  half  in  breadth,  and 
eleven  inches  with  the  legs  extended. 

ReneL     Where  is  the  picture,  Aunt  Mary  ? 

rfunt  M.  I  think  we  shall  find  it  in  this 
drawer.  Here  it  is. 

Mary.  Eh  !  it  makes  me  shudder  to  look  at 
it. 


220  LIKE    IK   THB    TN&BCT    WORLD. 

Renti.  Why  I  think  it  is  very  pretty ;  I  only 
wish  I  could  see  a  living  one.  Are  these  the  teeth 
on  the  top  of  its  head  ? 

JJunt  M.  Tes ;  and  here  is  one  separately 
drawn  to  show  its  form. 

Anna.    It  has  ten  legs. 

Aunt  M.  The  two  front  ones,  as  I  have  told 
you,  serve  the  purpose  of  arms.  They  are  used 
by  the  animal  for  seizing  its  prey,  and  holding 
it  while  it  devours  it  If  you  are  satisfied  with 
looking  at  the  picture,  we  will  now  lay  it  aside. 

An  interesting  anecdote  is  related  in  history 
of  Robert  Brace,  who  afterwards  became  one  of 
the  most  powerful  kings  of  Scotland. 

He  was  at  the  head  of  an  army,  fighting 
against  the  English,  and  had  been  six  times 
completely  conquered  in  battle  ;  he  had  become 
almost  discouraged,  when  one  night,  as  he  lay 
on  a  rough  bed  in  a  little  cottage  where  he  had 
taken  shelter,  he  saw  a  rpider  trying  to  throw 
its  web  from  one  beam  to  another.  Six  differ- 
ent times  it  threw  out  its  slender  thread,  and 
every  time  it  failed  to  become  attached  to  the 
beam.  Still  the  patient  spider  was  not  discour- 
aged ;  it  tried  the  seventh  time,  and  succeeded. 


LIFE    TS 


I  wiH  try  again."    He  did 
,  and  JMifJM^  king  of  Scot- 


Let  us  too  learn  a  lesson  from  the  spider,  bat 
kt  us  apply  it  to  a  far  different  purpose.  We 
do  not  \rish  to  destroy  our  fellow  creatures  to 
promote  oar  gratification,  bat  I  trust  we  are 
all  desirous  to  be  able  to  persctvrc  in  every  good 
word  and  work. 

And  now,  my  dear  link  girls,  I  think  we  shall 
hare  to  bring  our  evening  meetings  to  a  closr 
They  have  been  pleasant  and,  I  hope,  profitable 
toussfl. 

Anna.     Oh,  Aunt  Mary,  not  yet. 

Aunt  M.  You  know  I  told  you  the  other 
evening  it  was  nearly  time,  and  I  intended  this 
should  be  the  last.  The  evenings  are  so  short 

ReneaL  To-morrow  evening  will  be  die  last 
of  the  week,  and  the  last  of  the  north;  it  would 
he  so  nice  to  finish  then.  Just  kt  us  come  to- 


222  LIFE    IN    THE    INSECT    WORLD. 

Aunt  M.  Do  you  think  you  will  be  more 
willing  to  stop  then  ? 

Harriet.  I  am  sure  we  shall ;  and  I  have 
thought  of  a  plan.  We  will  each  hring  some 
insect  with  us,  and  Aunt  Mary  will  tell  us  about 
it. 

Mary.  Oh,  yes,  that  will  be  very  nice ;  I 
will  bring 

ReneL  Wait  a  little  while,  Mary.  We 
do  not  know  yet  whether  Aunt  Mary  will  let 
us  come. 

Aunt  M.  Yes,  you  may  come ;  and  I  have 
no  objection  to  your  plan  if  you  will  do  exactly 
as  I  tell  you.  Do  not  kill  an  insect  for  the  sake 
of  bringing  it ;  and  if  you  bring  living  ones,  be 
very  careful  that  you  do  not  hurt  them  ;  catch 
them  as  tenderly  as  possible,  and  put  them  into 
a  box  with  a  few  pin  holes  in  it.  I  should  be 
very  sorry  that  the  poor  little  creatures  should 
have  to  suffer  for  our  gratification.  Do  not 
catch  them  until  it  is  nearly  time  for  you  to 
come.  We  will  have  tea  early,  and  meet  at 
seven  o'clock. 

Mary.  We  will  do  just  so.  What  will  you 
bring,  Anna  ? 


LIFE    IN    THE    INSECT    WOULD.  223 

Rene6.  Do  not  let  us  tell  each  other  what 
we  will  bring.  We  will  keep  it  all  a  secret 
until  we  get  here  and  open  our  boxes. 

Mary.  So  we  will ;  there  will  be  a  great 
deal  more  fun  in  that. 

Jlunt  M.  Very  well,  keep  your  secrets,  and 
mind  what  I  have  told  you.  Good  night ! 


224  LIFE    IN    THE    INSECT    WORLD. 


EVENING   TWENTIETH. 


KATY-DID,    HOUSE-FLY,    APHIDES,    FIRE- 
FLIES,   GLOW-WORM,    &C. 

JLunt  M.  Well,  my  dear  little  girls,  I  am 
glad  to  see  your  happy  faces.  Have  you 
brought  anything  with  you  ? 

Anna.  Yes,  indeed  we  have  ;  but  neither  of 
us  knows  what  the  others  have  brought.  Har- 
riet and  I  were  in  the  garden  together  just  be- 
fore tea,  and  she  called  out  to  me  that  she  had 
found  something,  but  she  would  not  tell  me 
what. 

Jlunt  M.  I  suppose  she  will  tell  us  now. 
What  is  it,  Harriet  ? 

Harriet.  It  is  a  Katy-did ;  I  found  it  on  the 
honeysuckle.  It  hopped  away  from  me  two  or 


JLIFE    IN    THE    INSECT    WORLD.  225 

three  times,  but  I  caught  it  at  last,  and  it  is  now 
safe  enough  in  this  box. 

Anna.  Oh,  a  Katy-did  !  I  wish  I  had  found 
a  Katy-did.  I  could  not  get  any  thing  in  the 
garden,  so  I  went  into  the  house,  and  caught  a 
fly. 

Aunt  M.  I  am  glad  you  have  brought  us  a 
fly.  It  is  so  common  an  insect  that  I  should 
like  you  to  know  something  about  it,  and  it  is 
very  curious  too,  besides  having  its  own  little 
share  of  beauty.  What  has  our  little  Mary 
got? 

Mary.  Something  very  pretty  indeed  ;  but 
I  am  afraid  it  will  fly  away  if  I  open  the  box. 
There,  you  can  look  in  at  that  little  crack.  Do 
you  see  ? 

Anna.     Oh,  yes  ;  it  is  a  Lightning-bug. 

Harriet.  Say  Fire-fly;  that  is  a  prettier 
name. 

Mary.  I  was  very  much  afraid  that  I 
squeezed  it  too  hard  when  I  caught  it,  but  I 
believe  I  did  not  hurt  it,  for  it  seems  very  lively 
now. 

Rene&.     I  was  not  satisfied  with  one  insect ; 
I  believe  I  have  something  like  a  hundred. 
20 


226  LIFE    IN    THE    INSECT    WORLD. 

Mary.  A  hundred !  where  did  you  get  a 
hundred  ?  Do  let  us  see  them. 

Harriet.  Oh,  they  are  only  Aphides,  all 
sticking  together  on  a  branch ;  it  is  very  easy  to 
get  a  hundred  of  them. 

Renei.  Indeed,  I  think  it  is  a  great  matter 
to  get  a  hundred  cows  into  one  little  box.  You 
know  these  are  the  ants'  cows. 

Harriet.     So  they  are  ;  I  forgot  that. 

Jlunt  M.  I  think  you  have  all  done  ex- 
tremely well,  and  we  shall  have  plenty  of  sub- 
jects for  our  evening's  conversation.  We  will 
examine  our  prisoners  now,  and  release  them 
as  soon  as  we  can.  I  think  poor  Katy  seems 
rather  the  most  uneasy  in  its  confinement ;  sup- 
pose we  look  at  it  first,  and  let  it  go.  I  will 
hold  it  gently  in  my  hand  a  few  minutes, 
while  we  observe  it  more  closely.  Is  it  not 
beautiful  ? 

Harriet.  Yes ;  see  its  long  antennae,  and 
little  pink  eyes,  and  its  wings  too,  the)'-  look  like 
delicate  green  leaves. 

Jiunt  M.  These  are  only  the  wing-cases  ; 
and  you  see  that  they  completely  enclose  the 
body,  meeting  above  and  below. 


LIFE    IN    THE    INSECT    WORLD.  227 

Anna.  Hark  !  it  is  singing.  I  heard  it  say 
Katy. 

Aunt  M.  That  was  because  I  pressed  upon 
the  wing-cases.  The  musical  organs  are  situated 
underneath  these.  They  consist  of  transparent 
membranes,  tightly  stretched  within  two  frames 
like  tamborines,  and  whenever  the  wing-cases 
are  opened  and  closed,  they  rub  together,  and 
produce  the  sound.  When  they  sing  Ka-ty-did, 
they  open  and  shut  them  three  times;  thus 
making  three  distinct  sounds. 

It  is  only  the  male  which  sings ;  the  female  is 
always  a  silent  listener.  They  conceal  them- 
selves during  the  day  among  grass  or  leaves, 
but  as  soon  as  it  becomes  dark,  they  come  out 
fearlessly,  and  take  their  station  upon  some  con- 
venient tree  or  bush,  when  the  male  commences 
the  clear  joyous  song,  which  he  sometimes  con- 
tinues through  the  whole  night.  When  all  else 
is  perfectly  quiet,  this  sound  may  be  heard  at  the 
distance  of  a  quarter  of  a  mile. 

Renee.  I  suppose  this  is  a  male  then.  What 
long,  slender  legs  it  has. 

Jiunt  M.  The  legs  are  formed  for  leaping  ; 
you  see  the  hind  ones  are  the  longest.  I  want 


228  LIFE    IN    THE    INSECT    WORLD. 

you  to  take  particular  notice  of  its  jaws.  Put  one 
of  your  fingers  to  its  mouth  ;  it  may  snap  a  little, 
but  it  will  not  hurt  you. 

Reneb.     Why  it  really  bites,  and  its  teeth  ar 
as  hard  as  bone. 

Jlunt  M.  Yes,  and  you  see  they  are  black 
and  glossy  j  but  instead  of  being  placed  hori- 
zontally, or  across  the  mouth,  as  our's  are,  they 
are  placed  perpendicularly  at  each  side  of  it,  and 
close,  like  a  pair  of  forceps. 

I  think  you  might  put  Katy  out  of  the  win- 
dow now. 

Jlnna.  Here,  let  me  take  it.  It  is  glad 
enough  to  get  out  of  my  hand.  There,  fly 
away,  my  pretty  little  dear ;  but  see,  it  is  just 
hopping  about  on  the  window  sill,  and  listen 
how  it  chirps  now.  It  seems  to  say,  "Katy-did — 
Katy  did'nt — so  she  did." 

Harriet.     It  is  thanking  us  for  letting  it  go. 

Mary.     Or  bidding  us  good-bye. 

Jlunt  M.  We  will  leave  it  to  fly  away  when 
it  pleases,  and  while  it  sings  its  farewell  song, 
we  will  look  at  Anna's  fly.  I  want  you  to  ob- 
serve the  colors  upon  its  wings. 


LIFE    IN    THE    INSECT    WORLD.  229 

Renet.  I  did  not  know  that  the  wings  of  the 
fly  were  colored. 

Jlunt  M.  Look  at  them,  and  see  if  they  are 
not. 

Rene&.  Yes,  they  are  beautifully  colored. 
There  is  violet  and  green,  and  a  tinge  of  yel- 
low. 

Harriet.  How  strange  that  we  should  never 
have  noticed  it  before. 

•Aunt  M.  It  is  indeed  strange  that  any  of 
their  beauties  should  pass  unobserved,  when 
they  are  so  constantly  around  us.  There,  the 
fly  is  gone — but  it  is  no  matter ;  we  will  *ake 
the  liberty  of  talking  about  him  in  his  absence. 
If  you  had  examined  the  proboscis  of  the  fly, 
you  would  have  found  it  as  smooth  and  as 
beautifully  polished  as  the  sting  of  the  bee, 
which  I  showed  you  some  evenings  since. 

You  know  the  proboscis  is  hollow,  and  that 
the  fly  takes  its  food  through  it ;  it  resorts  to  an 
ingenious  expedient  when  it  meets  with  a  grain 
of  sugar  which  is  too  large  and  hard  to  pass 
through  this  slender  tube.  It  lets  a  drop  of 
fluid  fall  upon  it,  or,  in  other  words,  spits  upon 


20* 


220  LIFE    IN    THE    INSECT    WORLD. 

it,  and  having  thus  dissolved  the  desirable  mor- 
sel, sucks  it  up  without  difficulty. 

Many  insects,  you  know,  can  walk  upon  glass 
and  other  smooth  surfaces  with  perfect  ease  and 
security,  even  with  their  backs  downwards. 
The  house-fly  is  enabled  to  do  this  by  means  of 
an  apparatus  in  the  feet,  which  I  will  endeavor 
to  describe  to  you. 

No  doubt  yon  have  sometimes  amused  your- 
selves with  making  a  thimble  cling  to  your  arm 
or  lip  by  sucking  the  air  from  it ;  you  were 
aware  that  this  effect  would  be  produced,  al- 
though you  may  not  have  understood  the  cause. 
The  inside  of  the  thimble  being  deprived  of  air, 
that  which  was  without  pressed  upon  it  with 
such  force  as  to  cause  it  to  remain  in  its  position, 
and  adhere  to  the  flesh.  It  is  precisely  upon  this 
principle  that  the  house-fly  walks  upon  glass,  or 
upon  the  ceiling,  without  danger  of  slipping  or 
falling. 

Each  of  the  feet  is  furnished  with  two  claws, 
and  at  the  base  of  these  are  two  suckers  or 
membranes,  connected  with  the  feet  by  a  fun- 
nel-shaped neck,  which  is  capable  of  being 
moved  in  every  direction.  These  suckers  can 


LIFE    IN    THE    INSECT    WORLD.  231 

be  contracted  and  expanded  at  pleasure,  and 
when  the  fly  lifts  its  foot,  it  folds  them  up  be- 
tween the  claws,  and  thus  excludes  the  air,  and 
when  it  puts  it  down,  it  expands  them,  and  as 
there  is  no  air  within,  the  pressure  upon  them 
from  without  keeps  them  in  their  places.  Every 
time  the  fly  raises  and  puts  down  its  foot  it  per- 
forms this  curious  operation. 

JJnna.  It  must  be  very  troublesome  for  it  to 
walk. 

*ftunt  M.  No,  the  motion  is  perfectly  natu- 
ral, and  made  with  as  little  effort  as  we  require 
to  raise  a  hand  or  a  foot. 

But  we  must  pay  some  attention  to  these  little 
Aphides,  for  they  seem  inclined  to  walk  away 
from  us.  What  trim  looking  little  creatures  they 
are  !  Look  at  the  light  green  color  of  their 
bodies,  and  their  delicate  wings ;  they  are 
tinged  with  green  and  violet,  like  those  of  the 
fly. 

Harriet.  So  they  are;  but  many  of  them 
have  no  wings  at  all.  Please  hand  me  the  mi- 
croscope, Anna.  LHow  beautiful  the  eyes  are, 
and  the  long  antenna ! — and  there  is  the  pro- 
boscis too. 


232  LIFE    IN    THE    INSECT    WORLD. 

Aunt  M.     Is  the  proboscis  very  long  ? 

Harriet.     Not  very. 

Aunt  M.  No,  I  see  that  it  is  not  more  than 
one-third  the  length  of  its  body.  This  is  most 
common ;  but  in  some  species,  it  is  so  long  that 
when  the  insect  walks,  it  is  folded  under  the 
body,  and  extends  even  beyond  the  tail. 

Although  the  Aphides  appear  motionless  when 
thus  clustered  together  on  a  branch,  they  are  far 
from  idle.  Each  little  proboscis  is  thrust  into 
the  stem,  and  each  little  Aphis  is  busily  em- 
ployed in  sucking  the  juices  it  contains.  Some- 
times, however,  they  are  so  piled  upon  each 
other  that  they  cannot  all  get  a  chance  at  once, 
and  some  of  them  are  obliged  to  wait,  or  betake 
themselves  to  another  part  of  the  plant. 

Aphides  exist  in  countless  multitudes,  and 
there  are  numerous  varieties  of  them.  They 
may  be  found  upon  almost  every  tree  and  plant; 
the  stems,  the  leaves,  and  even  the  roots,  are 
often  covered  with  them.  Some  are  green, 
some  brown,  some  black,  others  red ;  and  in- 
deed they  are  of  almost  every  color. 

The  eggs  are  as  various  in  color  as  the  insects 
themselves.  In  one  respect  they  differ  material- 


LIFE    IN    THE    INSECT    WORLD. 

ly  from  ordinary  eggs ;  the  insects  being  alive 
within  them  when  they  are  laid,  and  the  shell 
merely  serving  as  a  covering  to  protect  them 
through  the  winter.  At  some  seasons  of  the 
year,  they  are  born  without  the  shell,  but  many 
of  them  are  then  enveloped  in  a  white  substance, 
which  is  produced  from  the  body  of  the  mother. 

This  substance,  which  is  known  by  the  name 
of  white,  or  American  blight,  is  common  on  ap- 
ple and  some  other  orchard  trees.  In  the  spring 
the  leaves  and  stems  are  often  so  completely 
covered  with  it,  that  they  look  as  if  flour  had 
been  strewn  over  them,  or  there  had  been  a 
slight  frost.  Towards  the  latter  part  of  summer, 
this  substance  becomes  thicker  and  more  cottony, 
so  that  the  insects  are  effectually  protected  from 
the  cold.  Enveloped  in  this  downy  covering, 
they  feed  upon  the  juices  of  the  tree,  and  fre- 
quently cause  its  death. 

Some  species  of  Aphides  produce  excrescences 
or  knobs  upon  the  leaves  of  plants,  which  are 
called  galls.  These  galls  vary  from  the  size  of 
a  pea  to  that  of  a  man's  fist.  The  Aphis  occa- 
sions a  disease  of  the  leaf,  by  puncturing  it 
with  her  proboscis.  The  gall  forms,  round 


234  LIFE    IN    THE    INSECT    WORLD. 

and  hollow,  and  she  immediately  takes  posses- 
sion of  it  as  a  dwelling.  Here  she  lays  her 
eggs,  and  when  the  young  are  hatched  they 
puncture  the  inner  walls  of  this  little  cham- 
ber in  order  to  extract  the  juice.  This  causes 
the  gall  to  grow,  and  thus  their  dwelling  is  en- 
larged. When  one  of  these  is  broken  open,  it 
is  found  completely  filled  with  Aphides. 

If  Renee  will  now  take  her  hundred  cows,  or 
as  many  of  them  as  she  can  collect,  into  the 
garden,  we  will  look  at  Mary's  fire-fly. 

I  think  we  may  venture  to  take  it  out  of  the 
box ;  we  will  not  let  it  escape  us  yet.  I  was 
speaking  a  while  ago  of  the  wing-cases,  which 
serve  as  a  protection  for  the  delicate  wings  un- 
derneath. We  have  here  an  excellent  example 
of  them  ;  they  are  common  to  the  whole  beetle 
tribe. 

Mary.     Is  the  fire-fly  a  beetle  ? 

Aunt  M.  Yes,  it  is  a  small  beetle.  I  will 
raise  one  of  the  wing-cases  a  little,  and  let  you 
see  the  transparent  wing. 

Mary.     Yes,  I  see  it. 

Aunt  M.  When  the  insect  is  at  rest,  they 
are  so  closely  folded  to  its  body,  and  so  com- 


LIFE    IN    THE    INSECT    WORLD.  235 

pletely  covered  by  these  hard  cases,  that  you 
would  not  suspect  their  existence. 

The  most  interesting  thing  about  the  fire-fly 
is  the  beautiful  greenish-yellow  light  which  you 
see  it  at  this  moment  emitting,  and  which  pro- 
ceeds from  a  quantity  of  yellow  matter  contained 
in  the  lower  part  of  the  body.  It  has  the  power 
of  kindling  and  extinguishing  this  light  at  plea- 
sure; now  it  is  gone — now  it  brightens  up  again. 
It  is  particularly  brilliant  after  slight  showers  of 
rain. 

Naturalists  have  had  various  conjectures  as 
to  the  design  of  this  curious  light,  but  have  not 
been  able  to  come  to  any  satisfactory  conclusion 
respecting  it.  It  is  doubtless  of  some  use  to  the 
insect ;  and  I  think  it  is  not  unreasonable  to 
suppose  that  He,  who  has  made  all  things  so 
beautiful,  has  lighted  up  these  little  lamps  to 
increase  the  cheerfulness  of  Nature  when  other 
beauties  are  hidden  by  the  darkness.  They  add 
greatly  to  the  enjoyment  of  an  evening  walk  in 
the  country,  and  even  our  city  gardens  are 
brightened  by  their  presence.  While  flowers 
pour  out  their  delicious  fragrance,  and  Katy- 
dids and  Crickets  sing  their  evening  song,  these 


236  LIFE    IN    THE    INSECT    WOULD.  % 

little  creatures  perform  their  part,  by  twinkling 
like  so  many  minute  stars  in  the  grass  and 
bushes  around  us.  All  testify  of  the  goodness 
of  the  Creator.  Each  seems  to  say,  in  its  own 
peculiar  language, — "  Our  God  is  love  !" 

Harriet.  I  have  always  been  worried  when 
1  have  seen  children  tear  fire-flies  to  pieces,  to 
get  the  light.  I  think  it  is  very  cruel. 

Jlunt  M.  It  is  indeed  very  wrong,  and  I 
think  there  are  few  children  who  would  be 
willing  to  indulge  in  such  cruelty  if  they  could 
be  made  sensible  of  the  pain  they  inflict.  But 
they  do  not  feel  it  themselves,  and  the  little  in- 
sect struggles  feebly  in  their  hands,  and  makes 
no  noise  ;  it  cannot  tell  its  sufferings.  They  do 
not  seem  to  remember  that  they  are  thus  de- 
priving one  happy  little  being  of  the  life  to 
which  it  has  an  equal  right  with  themselves. 

Mary.  If  they  knew  more  about  insects, 
they  would  not  be  so  cruel  to  them. 

Jiunt  M.  Perhaps  not.  But  we  must  not 
be  guilty  of  cruelty  ourselves  by  keeping  our 
prisoner  longer  than  necessary.  You  may  now 
let  it  go  and  enjoy  itself  among  its  companions. 

The  fire-flies  of  tropical  countries  are  much 


LIFE    IN    THE    INSECT    WORLD.  237 

larger  and  more  brilliant  than  ours.  They  are 
more  than  half  an  inch  in  length.  The  light 
proceeds  from  two  spots  about  the  size  of  a 
pin's  head,  situated  near  the  eyes,  and  also  from 
the  under  surface  of  the  body.  One  of  the  early 
historians  of  Central  America  gives  an  interest- 
ing and  curious  account  of  these  fire-flies.  He 
says:  "  They  have  two  stars  close  by  their  eyes, 
and  two  more  under  their  wings,  which  give  so 
great  a  light  that  by  it  you  can  spin,  weave, 
write,  and  paint ;  and  the  Spaniards  go  by  night 
to  hunt  the  Utios,  or  little  rabbits,  of  that  coun- 
try, and  a-fishing — carrying  these  animals  tied 
to  their  great  toes  or  thumbs,  and  they  call  them 
Locuyos,  being  also  of  use  to  save  them  from 
the  gnats,  which  are  there  very  troublesome. 
They  take  them  in  the  night  with  firebrands, 
because  they  make  to  the  light,  and  they  are  so 
unwieldly  that  when  they  fall,  they  cannot  rise 
again ;  and  the  men  streaking  their  faces  and 
hands  with  a  sort  of  moisture  which  is  in  those 
stars,  seem  to  be  afire  as  long  as  it  lasts." 

We  are  told  that  many  years  ago,  when  a 
number  of  Europeans  landed  in  the  West  Indies 
at  night,  they  were  greatly  alarmed  at  seeing 
21 


238  LIFE    IN    THE    INSECT    WORLD. 

the  distant  woods  lighted  up  by  innumerable 
fire-flies.  They  supposed  them  to  be  Spaniards 
advancing  upon  them  by  torch-light,  with  the 
intention  of  destroying  them,  and  immediately 
retreated  to  their  ships. 

Some  of  the  early  Spanish  missionaries  to 
South  America,  having  neither  candles  nor 
lamps,  were  in  the  habit  of  reading  and  writing 
by  the  light  of  fire-flies  confined  in  bottles,  and 
when  travelling  over  some  parts  of  the  country 
at  night,  their  guides  fastened  them  in  their  hats 
to  enable  them  to  follow  them  through  the 
darkness. 

Stephens,  the  well  known  American  traveller, 
says  that  when  in  Central  America,  he  read,  by 
the  light  of  a  single  fire-fly,  the  finely  printed 
pages  of  a  newspaper. 

The  fire-fly  is  not  common  in  England,  but 
its  place  is  partially  supplied  by  the  glow-worm. 
The  female,  which  is  far  more  brilliant  than  the 
male,  is  a  small  wingless  insect,  somewhat  of  the 
form  of  the  wood-louse,  and  is  commonly  found 
under  bushes  and  hedges.  The  male  has  wings, 
but  emits  only  a  faint  light. 

There  are  other  luminous  insects  besides  those 


LIFE    IN    THE    INSECT    WORLD.  239 

I  have  mentioned.  One  of  these  is  the  Lantern- 
fly,  which  emits  a  brilliant  light  from  a  sort  of 
horn  projecting  from  its  head ;  and  another  is 
the  Electric  Centipede,  which  leaves  a  track  of 
light  behind  it  wherever  it  moves. 

Even  the  ocean  contains  a  vast  number  of 
luminous  animals ;  and  it  is  supposed  to  be 
partly  owing  to  these  that  the  waters,  particu- 
larly within  the  tropics,  are  frequently  observed 
to  have  the  appearance  of  liquid  fire. 

And  now,  my  dear  little  girls,  we  have  had  a 
long  talk,  and  you  remember  that  this  evening 
is  to  close  our  conversations  upon  insects  for  the 
present ;  but  I  hope  it  will  be  only  the  begin- 
ning of  your  knowledge  of  them. 

I  have  introduced  you  to  a  few,  a  very  few, 
in  comparison  with  what  you  might  meet  with  in 
a  single  day  spent  in  the  country ;  but  I  want 
you  to  cultivate  their  acquaintance,  I  am  sure 
you  will  find  them  interesting  friends.  Your 
knowledge  of  these  may  be  the  means  of  in- 
troducing you  to  more,  and  you  will  find  that 
there  is  always  something  new  to  learn,  some- 
thing interesting  to  discover.  You  cannot  fail 
to  meet  with  the  objects  of  your  study,  for  they 


240          LIFE  IN  THE  INSECT  WORLD. 

are  to  be  found  every  where  ;  in  the  air,  the 
earth,  and  the  water,  and  upon  the  trees,  the 
bushes,  and  the  grass. 

I  am  sure  it  will  give  you  pleasure  to  recog- 
nize the  little  friends  with  whom  I  have  made 
you  acquainted  ;  to  see  the  caterpillar  casting 
its  skin,  or  weaving  its  cocoon,  and  the  butter- 
fly bursting  its  cell  and  mounting  into  the  air, 
as  if  rejoicing  in  its  freedom ;  the  spider  spin- 
ning its  curious  web ;  the  winged  ants  taking 
their  first  flight  in  the  air,  and  then  dropping 
their  wings  upon  the  ground,  and  the  patient 
little  laborers  clearing  out  the  earth  from  their 
under-ground  galleries,  or  laying  in  their  stores 
of  provision ;  the  hive-bee  loading  itself  with 
pollen ;  the  upholsterer  clipping  out  the  pieces 
of  leaf  with  which  to  form  the  cells  of  her  un- 
der-ground nest,  and  the  laborious  little  carpen- 
ter cutting  her  way  into  the  wood ;  the  wasp 
collecting  her  bundle  of  sticks ;  the  aphides 
sucking  the  juices  of  the  plant,  or  living  securely 
in  their  curious  little  dwellings  upon  the  leaves ; 
and  even  the  musqueto  in  its  dangerous  passage 
to  land  ; — all  will  seem  to  you  like  familiar  ac- 
quaintances, and  will  have  a  claim  upon  your 
kindly  notice. 


LIFE    IN    THE    INSECT    WORLD.  241 

And  when  locusts,  katy-dids,  and  crickets 
sing  their  song  of  welcome,  you  will  feel  that 
you  know  them  too ;  that  they  are  your  friends, 
and  you  are  theirs.  And  I  want  you  to  be 
truly  the  friends  of  all  these ;  never  see  them 
persecuted  without  defending  them.  Treat 
them  with  kindness,  for  they  are  innocent  and 
helpless  ;  treat  them  with  respect,  for  they  are 
the  work  of  God.  Remember  that  he  has  formed 
them  all  to  answer  some  good  purpose ;  that  he 
has  provided  for  their  safety  and  enjoyment,  as 
well  as  for  yours ;  that  his  care  and  kindness 
extend  over  his  whole  creation  ;  that  he  is  their 
Father,  and  your  Father,  and  that  he  is  love. 


